The Clone Wars 3 Sides
by dragon145
Summary: The Clone Wars have now begun and everything seems to be going Palpatine's way so far...but whats this, a new Sith Empire thats being lead by Naruto has risen up and joined the conflict. Looks like Palpatine might have some competition.
1. Chapter 1

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

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This is a Naruto/Star Wars crossover. I wanted to make this because for several days now I have just been having this idea for a crossover that I really wanted to write, or type would be the better term. I won't really be concentrating on any of my stories as much since school has started, but I will get in what I can and make do with the time I have.

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The final judgment was made as Naruto stared out with nothing but horror in his eyes as the judge declared him guilty of trying to murder that emo-bastard Sasuke Uchiha. During the retrieval mission when he had finally caught up with Sasuke at Valley of The End, Sasuke had made it clear that he didn't want to come back to Konoha and he would come back unless he was forced to.

Naruto had no other choice but to fight him and beat the crap out of him in order to bring him back. It wasn't his fault that he was forced to use a Kyuubi enhanced Rasangan to make sure that Sasuke would remain still on their trip back to Konoha.

As soon as he had entered the gates covered with blood that was his and Sasuke's, the anbu had immediately come and taken Sasuke away while Sakura had yelled at him about how she had asked him to bring back Sasuke not try to kill him. After she had screamed out how she hated him and never wanted to see him again and ran off after Sasuke, another pair of Anbu came and told him he was to appear before the council at once.

He wasn't even allowed to go to the hospital for treatment first, not that they would have treated him anyways. Once he had gone up to the Hokage Tower and into the council chambers he was immediately accused of attempted murder of a fellow Konoha shinobi, with said shinobi being the one we all love to hate, Sasuke Uchiha.

He had seen the many looks of disgust and hate on almost each and every one of the council members' faces. He had tried to defend himself against the charges, however it was futile at best, especially with the amount of bias against him. Tsunade who was also there tried to defend him against the charges, but it was to no avail. The council had simply assumed too much power during the time it took for Tsunade to be convinced to come back and become the new Hokage. Every time she tried to point out something good about Naruto the council would just come up with some outlandish tale to counter it. Tsunade was however, able to get the council to lower their greatly wanted execution of Naruto to a banishment order.

As the self appointed speaker of the council, civilian and shinobi halves, Aiko Haruno (no one tried to stop her from claiming her position for fear that their eardrums would burst) proclaimed with a sneer "Demon, you have until midnight to pack up your things and leave." Many of the council members from both halves looked at Naruto with smirks, happy that the demon that they hated for so long was one step closer to having its life cut short. Sure they were only banishing him, but later on they could always hire assassins to come after the boy and finish him off. It wouldn't be to hard either, especially now that his dream to be Hokage was broken.

At first Naruto simply wasn't able to believe what he was hearing. It soon sunk in however, that he was banished for a crime that he was being falsely accused of, by the very village he had sworn to protect.

Soon, Naruto began to grow angry, and as he did so he felt that same power start rising up inside of him. It was like the Kyuubi's chakra, only it felt far more powerful, and evil. However, Naruto tried to immediately push that same power away. He already remembered what had happened the last time he had used it, and it wasn't pretty. He especially didn't want to use that power and give the council the final bits of fuel needed in order to execute him.

As he left the council chamber Aiko purposely let him hear her next words "Furthermore the law made by the Sandaime Hokage, about speaking of the Kyuubi's status is no longer in effect. So my fellow council members let us now spread about the truth about the Kyuubi to the younger generation, and let them learn of the dangers of that demon brat."

Tsunade and Naruto's eyes widened at what she said and Tsunade immediately jumped up and said "What the hell, you can't do that, only the Hokage has the right to change the laws of a previous Hokage, and there is no way I'm gonna let you fucking bastards tell anyone about Naruto and the Kyuubi." Aiko merely smirked at Tsuande and retorted "Oh, but I can, and I have, you see we of the council now have more power than even you "_Lord Hokage_". All you really are is just a formality that we need to keep around so that we can keep appearances up. After all this still is one of the 5 Great Hidden Villages, so it wouldn't do if we had no Kage." After that Aiko snapped her fingers making ANBU appear all around. Aiko smirked and said "Now, unless you want to find yourself injured to the point of no return I suggest that you shut up, and go along with whatever I say."

Just as Tsunade was about to go and start yelling at the Haruno's impudence Naruto spoke up "It's okay baa-chan, let her do what she wants." When Tsunade and Aiko heard his defeated tone there were two completely different emotions running through them. While Tsunade felt her heart break upon hearing Naruto speak in such a defeated voice, Aiko felt pure joy at hearing the sorrow in Naruto's voice.

"See, even the demon brat agrees with me, so I suppose there's nothing more you can do Tsunade" Aiko said in a mocking voice. Tsunade grit her teeth and gave out a soft "_damnit_" before deciding to get Naruto out of the room. Grabbing Naruto, Tsunade shunshined out of the room and into her office. Knowing that Naruto was still injured if the dripping blood was any indication, Tsunade started to heal him at once. As she was healing him Jiraiya came into the office through the window. "Tsunade, I just heard what people are saying the council did to Naruto, have they really done it, have they really banished him?" When Jiraiya finally noticed that Naruto was also in the room and was now even more depressed than previously, Tsunade glared at him and said "If I wasn't healing Naruto right about now, I'd beat the crap out of you for being so insensitive."

"Sorry, I didn't know he was in the room, but seriously have they really banished Naruto?" "How do you even know about that, only a few minutes have passed since they decided to do that." "Well, the council came out of the Hokage tower and immediately started shouting out at the top of their lungs about how they had banished the demon brat. I didn't believe them but now that you've apparently confirmed it, it seems as though they've finally won." Jiraiya said this with a sad look in his eyes.

He looked at Naruto and asked "So gaki, what are you gonna do now?" Naruto who had his head hanging down in depression spoke in a low voice "I don't know Jiraiya-sensei." Jiraiya and Tsunade's eyes widened when they heard him call Jiraiya that. Naruto slowly raised his head to show that tears were coming out of his eyes. He then asked in a desperate voice "What am I gonna do? All I've ever wanted to be was Hokage, but…now I can't do that, how can I change how the villagers see me now, huh?" Jiraiya looked with pity in his eyes and said "Naruto, I don't think you can." Naruto looked at him with shock while Tsunade exploded "What'd mean he can't, Naruto is the most kind hearted boy out there, he's been nothing but good to all of those ungrateful villagers. So how is it that he can change their minds, hell he changed my mind about being Hokage so what's stopping him from doing the same with them?" Tsunade got a bit hysterical at the end of her rant.

Jiraiya then said "I think the reason Naruto can't change their minds is because they're just to enveloped in their hate. Most of the villagers lost at least one person of importance to them the night Kyuubi attacked, and while I think it's unreasonable how the villagers keep blaming you for their misfortunes; there's simply nothing you can do about it. I guess they've just hated you for so long that it's next to impossible for them to think about you without anger coming out."

"So what your saying is that I should just give up trying to change their minds about me?" Naruto asked slightly angry. " Jiraiya said in response "Yes, in fact I really don't know why you keep trying to gain their favor at all. They've done nothing but treat you like crap yet you still try to make them happy." Jiraiya sighed before continuing "Gaki, I think you would have a much better life away from Konoha than in it."

Naruto tried for one last protest but was quickly stopped by Jiraiya and a reluctant Tsunade. As Naruto was finally forced to accept that he was being banished Jiraiya went to Naruto's apartment to gather whatever belongings Naruto would be able to carry.

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It was almost midnight by the time Naruto was walking towards the gates that would lead him out of the hellhole known as Konoha. He carried a backpack with him that had an assortment of items that he would need in order to survive outside Konoha. There was nothing in the backpack that came from his apartment at all seeing as how it had been burnt down by the villagers in their frenzy upon hearing news of the demon being banished and the law that the Sandaime made no longer in effect.

word had spread like wildfire to everyone who hadn't known about Naruto's condition. Once all of his friends in the rookie 9 and team ten heard about it he had received various reactions from them. Some like Neji and Lee had been understanding of Naruto and had stayed loyal to him. Others had been less than pleasant to him once they learned.

Sakura had been extremely vicious to him once she had heard about Naruto being the jinchiriki of the Kyuubi. She made things quiet clear that she never wanted to see a freak like him ever again. Ino had been almost as bad as Sakura, while Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba all blatantly said that if they ever saw him again they'd kill him. Shino had empathized with Naruto and treated him no differently than he had before. Hinata had one of the most surprising reactions (and most hurtful) out of them all.

Whereas previously she had had a huge crush on Naruto and felt as though she was in love with him, upon hearing of Naruto's status as the jinchiriki of the Kyuubi all of that love turned to hate, scorn and a desire to kill. Hinata who was usually a kind hearted soul said things that would've caused even Hiashi to faint.

She had yelled at Naruto about how she had loved him, and about how they were going to be together forever only to later learn that she was in love with some demon freak. She spouted out how she now despised him, about how he had taken her heart and shattered it into a million pieces. She the vowed that she would have her revenge on Naruto for toying with her heart and making her look like a fool.

Naruto had no earthly idea as to what the hell she was ranting on about, so he left unnoticed as Hinata was too concentrated on a new rant.

Once Naruto was at the gate he turned back and gave one last look at Konoha before he would leave. There wasn't anyone at the gate waiting for him due to the fact that he had said goodbye already to anyone that would care about him.

Once he was done Naruto turned and walked out of Konoha, and he never looked back.

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5 days later.

Root ANBU had been tailing Naruto ever since he had left the village. They had waited until he was far enough from the village before they were going to put their plan into action. That plan being the capture of one Uzumaki Naruto. As of now the ANBU decided that Naruto was far enough from the village they wouldn't be caught by anyone from it.

Shunshining in front of Naruto one of the Root ANBU spoke "Uzumaki Naruto, Danzou-sama has decreed that you will join us. We are to now bring you back to the village. Do not try to resist and everything will be much more pleasant."

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard them speak. He had heard of Danzou from the old man (Sandaime) and based on what he had heard Danzou didn't sound like a person Naruto would want to be with. Also when he heard the ANBU say that they were going back to the village his anger rose up a bit.

For the past five days he had really been able to enjoy himself now that he was away from the village. In fact, now he couldn't even see why he had wanted to protect that place so bad. He was starting to realize that his life really was nothing more than a living hell inside that village, and now these bastards wanted to take him back to that godforsaken place? No fucking way in hell were they gonna do that!

As he turned around though he saw that he was now surrounded by the Root ANBU. Cursing under his breath Naruto put his hand together in a familiar seal and called out "**Kage bunshin no Jutsu**". Several clones appeared beside him and Naruto threw several smoke bombs down and enveloped himself and his clones in a smoke screen.

'Damn' the lead Root ANBU thought as he saw several shadows jump out of the smoke cloud and go in different directions. "Split up and find him, use whatever means necessary to bring him down, but don't kill him! Danzou-sama wants him alive." With that the ANBU split up.

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As Naruto jumped through the treetops as fast as he could he thought to himself 'damnit, why, why can't they just leave me alone. Aren't they satisfied with kicking me out? No, they probably want to mount my head on pike, or turn me into some mindless weapon. As if I'll let that happen. With that thought in mind Naruto began to increase his speed. He almost slipped when he suddenly received information on from of his dispersed clones. He saw in its memories how the clone was effortlessly killed by two Root ANBU. 'Awww, shit!' Naruto cursed in his mind. He hadn't expected his clones to be defeated that quickly.

As he was jumping through the trees he heard a faint whooshing sound that was getting louder very quickly as time went on. Quickly he realized that they were some sort of projectile. He jumped out of the tree he was currently in just as several poison laced senbon struck the tree he was in.

Two Root ANBU suddenly appeared right in the same spot he had been in moments before. They looked around and spotted Naruto hiding in several bushes. He was hiding pretty good, and would have gone undetected by the ANBU had they just been using sight alone. Sadly for Naruto, the bright orange abomination of a jumpsuit he was wearing made him stick out like a sore thumb. One of the ANBU sent a mild fireball at Naruto's location. Jumping from his hiding spot now that he had been discovered Naruto cursed his jumpsuit, knowing that it was all the abomination's fault. Honestly, he knew that one day that jumpsuit might very well be the end of him, he just never thought today might be that day.

The two Root ANBU gave chase as Naruto tried his best to flee. They both began sending various sorts of nonlethal ninjutsu at him in order to render him unconscious. Naruto was able to dodge a good amount of their attacks, but he could only dodge for so long before he would begin to tire. His weariness started to show when the two Root ANBU began hitting him with their attacks more often. It was a good thing that Naruto had a high tolerance for pain, as some of the attacks were very painful, nonlethal, but painful.

Eventually more ANBU showed up to assist their allies, and it wasn't long before Naruto was running from six instead of two Root Anbu. The Root Anbu had to give Naruto credit to his large stamina though, as he had been running from them for two hours. Sure he looked exhausted, but still, impressive stamina.

As Naruto continued to run from his pursuers his pace began to slow down. The ANBU noticed this and decided to capitalize on it. They knew that there was a cliff up ahead. and they planned to corner him at it. Once they reached the cliff, Naruto backed up as far as he could while the Anbu blocked off any means of escape save for jumping off the cliff. Naruto couldn't believe this! Here he was trapped like a cornered animal. The ANBU approached warily now, aware that he might unleash the Kyuubi's chakra if provoked.

As the ANBU neared Naruto backed up until he was at the cliff's edge. 'Shit, what the hell can I do now?' Naruto questioned to himself. He really didn't want to go with the ANBU. Naruto then looked over the cliffs edge (which was really high up) and into the far away forest below and thought whether it would be better to jump off or go with the ANBU. Quickly calculating the options in his head, he knew which was the better option. Jumping off the cliffs edge he surprised the ANBU/idiots who had honestly thought he would never do that.

Eyes widening they tried to stop him only for the effort to be futile. All they could do was watch as the boy Danzou so greatly coveted jumped to his seeming demise. One of the ANBU then asked "Sooooo, what are we gonna tell Danzou-sama?" The Root ANBU squad leader panicked and said in a worried voice "We'll look at the bottom to search for his remains. Hopefully the body will be intact enough for Danzou-sama to use. If not, it'll mean all of our heads." The other ANBU grew stiff at that and immediately set out for the bottom of the cliff to search for Naruto's body.

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Naruto grit his teeth in pain as he tried to get up. He was sure he had a few broken ribs and maybe a broken arm or leg. Blood dripped from numerous wounds all over his body and his lungs seemed to be at their braking point as it was really hard for him to breath. Once Naruto was up he tried walking in some random direction not really knowing where he was going. Pain filled up his entire being as Naruto struggled along. Briefly he wondered why he couldn't feel the Kyuubi's chakra healing him at all before pain once again enveloped all thoughts.

Naruto trudged forwards slowly, dripping blood as he walked. He noticed this and swore in his mind. 'Fucking great, now I'm leaving a trail for those dipshit bastards to follow.' Naruto knew that there wasn't any point in trying to cover up his tracks. He was just going to have to face them when they came. In the mean time he could still try and find a good place to hide. He continued walking even though he had no idea where he was going, his sense of direction having been completely thrown off by the ANBU's kidnapping attempt.

Eventually he was forced to stop walking as the pain in his body had just become too much. He had made it out of the forest and into a clearing before, exhausted to the point of death, Naruto fell face forward onto the ground. He stayed like this for a few minutes as he tried to regain his breath. Naruto then with some effort lifted his head up to see what was ahead of him. He saw that he was facing the very same cliff wall that he had jumped off of. 'Son of a bitch!' Naruto swore in his mind furious that he had come to a place he had already been, just at a lower height this time. Slowly, against what his body told him Naruto forced himself to get up.

His anger was giving him strength as he moved. That same feeling of power he had had back in the council room bubbled up again as his anger started to grow. Just when he had finally gotten up he heard the sound of people shunshining behind him. Naruto turned his head around and saw that he had been found again by the Root ANBU.

The squad leader then spoke "Uzumaki Naruto, your proving to be one very annoying person to chase down. I am only going to offer you one more chance to come quietly before we may do something permanent to you." The squad leader said this with contempt in his voice. After all he could have lost his life if the body had died, and that didn't make him very endeared to Naruto. The other ANBU brought out their own weapons in order to emphasize their leader's threat.

Naruto, whose head was bowed down, was steadily getting angrier and angrier with each word that the squad leader said. As the squad leader said all of that Naruto remembered every time that he had ever been mistreated or abused by Konoha. Almost everyone there was guilty of some sort of abuse against Naruto whether it was physical or emotional. The more he thought about those things the more that power got stronger, and was now gaining some sort of voice which was telling Naruto destroy these fools who dared to threaten him. Naruto was starting to agree with the voice and let himself become enveloped in its dark power.

When Naruto just stood there making no movement what so ever the Root ANBU just assumed that he was giving in. Just as they were about to restrain him, Naruto unleashed an aura of power that none of the ANBU had ever faced before. All of them had participated in the fight against the Kyuubi and had felt it's horrible aura, yet the aura that this boy was producing was ten times worse than what the Kyuubi produced during its attack on Konoha. The Root ANBU looked on in fear as Naruto slowly raised his head. They were really freaked out when they saw that his eyes had changed from sky blue to a sulfuric yellow.

Naruto then raised his hand up and pushed his palm outward. He felt a rush of energy like never before coursing through his entire being. That same energy went out of his palm and towards those fools who had dared to attack him. The ANBU felt a wave of powerful energy slam into them and push them each into a tree. They all screamed in agony as they felt their bodies being crushed to death by that powerful energy. By the time Naruto was done they were splattered all over the trees they were pushed into. The trees themselves looked like they were about to fall over from the power that Naruto had unleashed.

Naruto looked down at his hands wondering where that energy had come from. He could still feel it flowing throughout his body, only now it was more subdued now that his anger had vanished. As he looked at the remains of the ANBU sent to capture him, Naruto strangely felt no remorse at killing them. In fact he was more interested in how he had killed them.

Naruto then heard a large noise behind him. Looking back to see what it was this time he was surprised to see that a certain part of the cliff wall had sunk into the cliff and then stopped, and split into 2 halves which slid apart to reveal metallic hallways behind them. Naruto then saw a robot**(1)**, if he was correct, coming out of the hallways; and walking towards him. The robot was colored a rusty orange with eyes that had a red sclera, and a yellow iris and pupils. When it reached him, the robot then spoke "**Joyous Greeting:** Ah, young master it is finally good to meet you after waiting for so long."

Naruto could only stare in confusion at the robot. Picking up on his confusion the robot spoke "**Explanation:** Ah, I am sure you would be confused but do not worry, all will be explained if you would just follow me young master." With that the robot turned around and began walking back into the opening in the cliff. Naruto just stared, wide eyed for a few seconds before making up his mind to follow the robot thing. After all, it wasn't as if he had many other options.

Once he was deep enough in the hallway the door sealed itself back up. Naruto followed the robot deeper into the mysterious complex and hoped that whatever was going on would work out in the end.

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Several Root ANBU crowded around the remains of their fallen comrades. They didn't show any emotion to the gruesome deaths of their fellow ANBU, well at least not in front of their leader. Danzou looked around with a grimace. He had expected his ANBU to quickly capture the boy and bring him back to Konoha undetected. Instead they were all splatters on trees that looked like they were about to fall over. He knew that it was Naruto who had done this. He couldn't sense his chakra at all or even the Kyuubi's chakra, but he could sense something that was similar to the boy. He didn't know what it was but he was very interested in finding out. He had his ANBU disperse in order to find Naruto thinking that they would find him. Unfortunately for Danzou he would never see the boy ever again.

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Naruto and the robot or droid who had identified itself as HK-47 to Naruto somewhere on their walk stopped in front of a pedestal that had a purple pyramid on it. Naruto then heard a voice coming from the pyramid in front of him. He was unable to make out what it was saying but he felt a supreme power emanating from the pyramid. Falling into a trance like state Naruto began to move forward towards the pyramid. HK-47 merely watched on with interest wondering if this one would be able to unlock the pyramids power.

Once Naruto was close enough he grasped the pyramid with his hands and felt a wave of energy go through him. Suddenly an apparition appeared above the pyramid Naruto was holding. Jumping back in surprise Naruto shouted out "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!." The apparition held its ears in pain and said "Man, do you have be so loud? I mean really, was there any need for you to shout, hmmm?" the apparition asked accusingly.

HK complained "**Exasperated Statement:** Oh, the shout that came out of your mouth nearly destroyed my sound wave processers, please master, in the future do try to speak a bit quieter **Excited Afterthought:** Although I do see that becoming a useful weapon of torture in the future. Oh, I can just feel my behavior core lighting up at the prospect of using it on a meat bag."

Naruto and the apparition sweat dropped at that, the apparition thinking about how HK always came up with new ways to torture people while Naruto was just plain freaked out.

The apparitions appearance was that of a slightly tanned man who had black hair that started out smooth but grew messier as it went down and ended at the end of his neck. His eyes were a blue just like Naruto's and his face was that of someone who was in their late twenties. As for the clothing he was wearing black and red armored robes. All in all he looked really handsome but also held an aura of power around himself.

The apparition then turned its attention to Naruto and spoke "Well young Naruto, it seems like you're the first person to ever unlock this holocron; so you now have the opportunity to learn everything I can teach you, which is a lot. Either that or you can walk away right now, have your memory wiped, and it'll be like we've never even met."

HK decided to give its opinion "**Urging Hope:** I would advise you take the offer for teaching young master. After all it has been so long since I have had a live master and I would hate to lose one who shows such promise."

Naruto then asked "HK, why do you keep calling me master, I don't see why I would be your master?" "**Answer:** That is because; not only were you able to open the hidden entrance with your Force powers, but you were able to touch Master Revan's holocron without being turned into a fried husk. These alone are reasons enough to call you master, but should you decide to take Master Revan's training then I will eventually be passed on to you."

HK's answer did two things. One, it satisfied Naruto's curiosity about the who mater thing and two; it raised a new question.

"Wait, what's the Force?" The apparition or Revan as he had now been identified as then spoke "Well the Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together. That's just the basic description of it though, and you'll more than likely form your own opinion about it if you learn enough. So are you going to except my training or not?"

It didn't take Naruto long to decide really. After all, it wasn't as if he had anything better he could do. "I accept." was all Naruto said in response. Revan gained a smirk on his face and said "Excellent, now let the tort-I mean training begin."

Naruto had heard the slip up and wondered just what he had gotten himself into. Revan's maniacal laughter surprisingly didn't sooth his fears.

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And done, well hope you enjoyed the start of Naruto's Star Wars adventure. For those of you wondering, yes Konoha will play a role in the story in the future. Or, at least the survivors will. Hehehe.

(1)Yes, in the Naruto world people do know about robots. They haven't actually build a robot, so it's more of a in movies kind of knowledge that people have about robots in the Naruto world.

Well goodbye, and tune in for the next chapter. Oh, and please review.


	2. Chapter 2

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

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By the way just as a warning to all readers, Naruto will not be some super evil Sith who doesn't care about anyone other than himself. He will have more of a neutral allegiance to the Force. So he'll use both sides together quite often. As for him leading a Sith Empire, it won't be an evil one, but Naruto will still be regarded as a Dark Lord of the Sith because of how powerful he will become in the Darkside.

As for a current timeline reference to Star Wars, Naruto is 12 years old as of last chapter and Anakin is 6.

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Once Naruto had been healed of all the wounds he had received from fleeing the Root ANBU, Revan went about to training Naruto at once. He taught Naruto everything he would need to know from strategy and tactics to politics and government. Naruto learned about the multitudes of alien languages there were and even learned how to speak some. Basically in order to summarize it; everything Naruto would need to know about the modern galaxy Revan taught him, including its past history.

As for his combat training, or practically anything that had to do with the Force, well…that was hell. There was simply no other way to describe the training that he was put through. He was forced to go many painful beatings by HK in his taijutsu training(how Revan got a taijutsu style is a whole different story). He often injured himself when training in his Force powers due to his extremely high amounts of midi-chlorians, and when he began lightsaber training he was forced to use a real lightsaber due to Revan's lack of training lightsabers anywhere throughout the hidden complex. He had suffered a lot of burns until he was able to modify the lightsaber to a training level of power.

Yet Naruto preserved, he continued on through the many sleepless nights until finally 7 years had passed and Naruto was finished with his training. Now you might be wondering how the hell was Naruto able to complete all of that training in only 7 years. Well, Revan had Naruto train his force abilities until he was able to do an ability known as Time Block. Time Block was a Force power that only the most powerful Force users were capable of using. What it did was block time from going forward. This allowed anyone to do something that would normally take them decades to accomplish in little over a few minutes, if they were strong enough. Of course the costs of using this technique were that one it took a large amount of Force-Energy to use and two it was a constant drain on your power. The longer you used it the weaker you got. That was why only a person with a huge number of midi-chlorians could ever hope to gain anything useful out of it.

They were the only ones who had the large amounts of Force-Energy needed to not only make the technique work, but also use the technique long enough to train in something. The good thing about the huge drain on your force energy reserves was that it helped to make them larger than before. Also the constant drain thing wasn't so bad as it only took a pretty small amount of force energy. It was the initial cost that was bad.

So, using this technique; Naruto was able to train for years, when only a month or two had passed in reality.

Now with all of this talk about his force powers your probably wondering what happened to the Kyuubi and all of Naruto's chakra. Well, for starters, Naruto had been lucky enough to be born a force sensitive but an extremely powerful Force sensitive as well, however; since he was on the only planet in the galaxy where the Force had mutated into chakra he had gained chakra as well. Since chakra was the main source of power on his planet, Naruto's force abilities were weakened greatly, while his chakra was strengthened. When the Kyuubi was added into the mix though it did something to Naruto's midi-chlorians. It caused a mutation in them that allowed them to continually multiply thus slowly increasing Naruto's force powers while decreasing his chakra.

The first sign of this was Naruto's horrible chakra control. As his chakra grew weaker it also grew crazier in a desperate attempt to hold on to its position as Naruto's dominant power. Kyuubi was also afraid of the Force and tried to halt the process that he had unwittingly started. He did manage to slow it down, but it had required all of the Kyuubi's concentration. So when Naruto had unleashed bits of the Kyuubi's chakra while fighting Haku at the bridge and Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, and finally Sasuke at Valley of the End, Naruto had broken Kyuubi's concentration thus allowing the process to continue. Each time Kyuubi had had a break in its concentration the midi-chlorians had gained ground that the Kyuubi couldn't afford to lose.

So now the Kyuubi and Naruto's chakra were fighting a losing battle against Naruto's midi-chlorians that would only stop multiplying once that last vestiges of chakra and the Kyuubi were eliminated from Naruto's body.

Revan had summarized that by that point Naruto would have close to 50,000 midi-chlorians per cell.

So currently Naruto would continue growing in his power over the Force, as not all of his chakra had left him yet. His current midi-chlorian count was somewhere around 20,000.

As for Revan, Naruto learned a lot about him as well, like how he had been a Dark Lord of the Sith at one time in his life, and how he had built HK-47 as well. Those were only a few examples to say the least.

Now back to Naruto being done with his training.

* * *

Naruto kneeled before the pedestal that contained his masters holocron. His appearance had changed over the years. Gone was all the baby fat from his face. He looked like an exact replica of his father Minato Namikaze (yes he knows about his father, I'll explain that in a different chapter) now, only a bit younger, and with whisker marks on his checks. He had also gained an impressive physique that could easily gain the attention of many women. His muscles were developed evenly throughout his body and they weren't the kind that were so large that you had to have taken steroids in order to get them. Instead they were lean and fit, and made him look good. All in all he could have any women with his looks alone. Naruto had also gained a scar over his left eye. This was due to his early lightsaber training.

Naruto has also ditched that god awful jumpsuit he was forced to wear and currently wore some Jedi apprentice robes.

"Rise, my apprentice" Revan commanded, and Naruto complied. "You have done well these past 7 years, even though it seems to have been much longer than that." Naruto nodded his head in agreement at that. "I have now taught you everything I can possibly teach you, and you have absorbed everything like a sponge. I am happy to say that you were my greatest student of all time."

Naruto stared at his master for a second before responding "Master, I was your only student!" Revan quickly said "That's not the point! Anyways, I've decided to give you a graduation present, or presents would be the proper term." Naruto raised one of his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Now I'm sure your curious as to what your presents are. Well as for your first one, do you remember a door on the third level of the complex that you were unable to open because I had locked it away?" Naruto nodded his head "Good, because I'm going to give you the code for that door." Once the code was given Revan moved on to the second present "Naruto, do you see a panel on the far right side of the room." Revan pointed in the direction for added guidance. Naruto went over to the panel and on Revan's direction removed it.

What he found on the inside surprised him. Apparently Revan's old armored robes and his mask from when he had been a Sith Lord had survived the test of time if the fact that they seemed to be in perfect condition was anything to go by.

"I'm giving you my old robes Naruto**(1)**, now before you get on my case complaining about how they're so freaking old by now, know that my robes were all made using Mandalorian Iron. The armored parts are pure, and the cloth parts have it infused." Naruto smiled as Revan continued to go one about how great his robes are when he decided o interrupt him "Master, I actually happen to like your old robes. This stopped Revan's rant who asked "Really" "Yes, I thought that they made you look badass, so I was going to have my own set made, but now you just saved me the effort." Naruto said in a cheery voice.

Revan smirked and said in agreement "Your right they do look badass. However now that I've given you your gifts I have one final task for you to do." Naruto listened as Revan told him to do the most unexpected thing that Naruto could think of. "WHAT! YOU WANT ME TO DESTROY YOU!" Revan was really thankful that Naruto's voice had deepened over the years, otherwise his ears might have burst, and he was only an apparition.

"Yes Naruto, I want you to destroy my holocron." Revan repeated himself. "But why, Master?" Naruto asked in a much more subdued and confused voice. Revan sighed and explained "Well Naruto, one reason is so that I can reunite with the rest of my spirit which has become one with the force, the other is so that all of my knowledge doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Naruto could understand Revan's reasoning even though he wasn't too happy about doing it. Revan saw Naruto's discomfort and consoled him "Naruto, it's okay, my time has long since passed. Trust me when I say you'll be doing me a favor."

Naruto then steeled himself for what he was about to do. He placed his masters holocron on the pedestal where it had been originally located. He then distanced himself from the pedestal and began to gather Force-Energy into his hands. The bluish energy of the Force gathered in large amounts around Naruto's hands. He then began to form the energy into a condensed ball like form which he prepared to unleash on the pedestal**(2)**.

Before he did this Naruto said "Thanks for everything you've taught me master. I'll never forget all that you've done for me." Revan smiled in appreciation and said "Like I said Naruto, don't worry; besides this isn't our final goodbye."

Naruto, didn't really know what Revan meant by that, so he did the simplest thing he could think of. He unleashed the ball of Force-Energy and sent it flying in the direction of the pedestal. It completely destroyed the pedestal and the holocron leaving nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Naruto took a few moments to cope with the fact that he had now destroyed the last thing keeping his master tied to this world. Once he felt he had dwelled on it long enough Naruto went over to where Revan's old robes were. Putting on Revan's robes Naruto found that even though they were made with iron it, the robe were actually very light. 'Madalorian Iron truly is a quality metal' Naruto thought. Another surprise for Naruto was that although the robes seemed to be long and unfit for battle they actually allowed a large amount of free movement. Naruto was easily able to go through all of his taijutsu moves without being impaired by the robes at all, and the same held true for his lightsaber stances.

Once Naruto was done testing out how well the robes worked he put on the maskto complete the set.

He then set out for to the locked door on the third level of the complex. Once he got there he was greeted by HK-47 who had been recharging his battery. "**Statement: **Ah, greetings master. **Analysis: **I assume that because you are standing in front of that door because you now know the security code." "Yes HK, that would be correct." "**Excited Response:** Oh, such wonderful news! I simply can't wait to get of this boring planet. **Statement:** Do you know how long it has been since I've killed a meatbag. **Dejected Answer:** Oh, it has simply been far too long. **Urgency:** I would really suggest that you enter that code in and get to what's inside soon master."

"Right." Naruto said in response, having gotten somewhat used to HK's love of killing things. Once he had entered in the code the door opened to reveal a ship that was docked in a hanger bay. Naruto recognized the ship at once. It was none other than the Ebon Hawk, the very same ship that Revan had used during the Jedi Civil War. Naruto was truly amazed that Revan had an intact ship on this planet, although whether it actually worked or not would be another matter entirely.

"**Statement:** Master, I do think we might want to get on the ship soon, after all, I am sure you are as eager to get of this planet as I am." HK said the last part with excitement in it.

Naruto nodded in response and boarded the ship along with HK. Once inside, Naruto took his time to explore the ship for a bit, figuring out where everything was and all that. Once Naruto felt he had a good feel for the ship's layout he went back to complex to collect anything of value and brought it aboard the Ebon Hawk. After he was done with that Naruto went to the cockpit and sat in the pilots chair while HK had gone into some other room. "Well, I've never flown a starship before, but now's as good a time as any to learn I guess." Naruto spoke to himself.

Revan had taught Naruto the basics for flying a starship like the Ebon Hawk, but without being able to gain any real practice Naruto was going to have to go on instinct. Or rather he would have if it wasn't for the fact that he had found the autopilot. 'Oh thank the Force, there's an autopilot.' Naruto thought in relief. Naruto then pressed a button that unlocked the hanger bay doors on the ceiling and made an opening that was large enough for the Ebon Hawk to leave out of. As it rose out of the hanger Naruto looked around and saw that the ceiling had been under the very same cliff top that he had fallen off of seven years ago.

Naruto, having already figured out his next destination, then hit the auto pilot and allowed it to do the rest. With that the Ebon Hawk shot into space, completely shocking anyone who was lucky enough to see it.

* * *

The Ebon Hawk came out of hyperspace in front of the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban. As the ship began its descent; Naruto found it odd that the Jedi didn't have some form of fleet guarding the Sith world. He was sure he would have had to maneuver around some form of defensive force.

It was actually quite sad to Naruto. He saw this lack of careful watch over such an obvious sign of the Sith as a grave mistake in the Jedi. Of course, this was one mistake that he would capitalize on.

Once the ship had landed in a concealed spot; Naruto and HK walked out and journeyed over to the biggest patch of civilization. Naruto had decided to forego his masters robes in order to maintain an air of secrecy. After all, he didn't want to risk someone recognizing his masters robes and reporting it to someone who could make a big deal of things.

So, Naruto just wore a regular tanned jumpsuit like some average smuggler, or something. Naruto and HK entered a bar and began asking around for someone who knew the place well enough to guide them to wherever they would need to go. After they had found someone, they paid him and had him lead them to the Valley of the Dark Lords.

Once they had reached there, Naruto knocked out their guide and used the Force to wipe his memory of having ever met them. "HK, I'm going into the valley, you guard the entrance and make sure that anyone who comes in, doesn't leave." "**Resolute Declaration:** Do not worry master, I'll make sure that not even a single meatbag makes it in. **Excitement:** I do hope there are some meatbags who try to make it in. I have been ever so longing to improve my sniping skill for quite some time."

With that HK went to go and find a good spot where he could snipe people to his heart's content, or whatever it is droids have that's compatible with a heart.

Naruto entered the valley ready for whatever test the spirits of the Sith Lords would give him.

* * *

Naruto entered the tombs of the Sith, not really knowing where the spirits of the ancient Sith were, and figuring their tombs would be as good a place as any to start with. He picked a good spot. Naruto was soon enough confronted with one of the Sith spirits that he so greatly wished to meet.

"_Boy, why have you come to our resting place, if you are looking for some sort of artifact then you might as well leave now. Anything worth your time was taken a long time ago._" a spirit spoke to him. Naruto smirked and said "I did not come to this place to search for things that no longer reside here. Instead I have come here to gain acknowledgement." "_Oh, and acknowledgement for what exactly?_" the spirit questioned even though it probably already knew the answer. "For becoming a Sith Lord of course." Naruto answered as expected

The Sith spirit smirked at Naruto and said "_Now why would I even need to acknowledge you as the Dark Lord of the Sith. In case you haven't noticed, there already is one._" Naruto had already suspected as much, as Revan had told him that the current Sith Order had adopted a Rule of Two. This had allowed them to hide much more effectively from the Jedi. Revan had managed to the info from a Sith holocron of his that had been destroyed. Someone named Darth Bane had decided to make it so that there would only be two Sith Lords, a Master and Apprentice. While this was a good rule for keeping in the shadows, it really didn't suit Naruto, who wanted to be a Sith Lord as well.

"Well, why exactly should I be stopped from trying to become a new Dark Lord of the Sith. If I'm strong enough to pass your tests then surely I would be worthy to become a Dark Lord, right?" The Sith spirit nodded his head. Anyone who faced the tests of the Sith spirits and passed was immediately considered a Dark Lord and was given the ancient Sith's full support. Not everyone had to take spirit's tests as shown by the Rule of Two where all you had to do was slay your old Sith master and then you were automatically considered the new Dark Lord.

However the benefits of taking the spirit's tests and passing were that one, you would become a lot more powerful, and two, none of the other Sith spirits were allowed to interfere with your plans. That's why Naruto wanted to take the tests of the Sith spirits.

The Sith spirit had to nod in agreement of Naruto's point. If he was strong enough, then he would be worthy of possessing the title of Dark Lord. "_Very well then, I will allow you to take our tests. I hope that you do not fail, you are proving to be quite interesting._" With that the spirit disappeared and Naruto's world began to go dark.

* * *

It was the middle of the night as a six year old Naruto ran away from several angry villagers who were intent on causing bodily harm to him. Naruto's lungs, and heart were working hard to keep him running, but he had already been running for quite some time, so they were pretty tired by this point.

Naruto turned around a corner and ended up in a maze of backalley streets. Finding a loose ventilation exit, Naruto opened it and crawled inside. For once his small frame made things easier for him as he was easily able to fit inside the duct. He managed to close up the exit just as the villagers ran inside the corner. They looked around for what must have seemed like hours to poor Naruto. When it seemed like they had finally given up and had gone to look for him someplace else; Naruto got out of his hiding spot.

Finally thinking that it was safe enough to attempt to make his way home, once Naruto walked into the open streets he was face to face with one of the worst possible things for him. 'A genin team' Naruto thought with horror as the three genin started at him with sick glee. "Well, well, well, look what we have here you guys. It's a _training dummy_." A girl spoke this time "ooohhhh, your right, and guess what; I've been needing to practice on my taijutsu any ways." As two of the genin began to come closer towards him Naruto immediately began running back in fear.

His attempt to run away was halted however by the third teammate. "Awww, no where do you think you're going you little hellspawn. I heard what my parents said about you. So trust me when I say that what we're about to do is exactly what you deserve monster." As the genin surrounded him Naruto could only brace himself for the pain as best as he could.

I wasn't long however until Naruto was unable to take all the pain that they were dishing out on him, and began to cry for mercy. All the genin laughed and simply tried to make it hurt more. They ran kunai along him until they drew blood. the used him as a taijutsu dummy, and were just about to use him as a test subject for one of their explosive tags when they all of a sudden confronted by several adults.

One of the adults spoke "Now would you kids mind telling me what it is you're doing?" As the genin began to realize they were screwed they tried to come up with some sort of excuse until they heard the man's next words.

"I mean really, a paper bomb on his chest, come on! If you really want to make it hurt you've gotta cut him open and put it on the inside." He said the last part of his sentence with a bit of insanity creeping into his voice. Naruto who had been hoping that the adults would help him out had his hopes dashed with those words. As a new fear came into his eyes Naruto tried even harder to run away from his captor who laughed at his futile attempts to flee. They grabbed him and held him down as one of the genin approached him with a kunai in her hand. The girl grinned sadistically as she stopped right in front of Naruto. With everyone there cheering the girl on, she raised the kunai above her head and swung it down with the intent of cutting Naruto's chest right open.

As the kunai neared him, Naruto's fear had reached new levels if that was possible. With his eyes closed Naruto just began wishing that it was all over. That he was dead so that he wouldn't have to deal with this every day. 'Wait, what? What am thinking, why do I want to die? Haven't I been through this already?' were just some of the many confusing thoughts going throughout Naruto's head at the moment.

Then his eyes widened as he realized what all of this really was 'Damnit! This is a part of the test!' Remembering everything else that had happened, Naruto gained a smirk on his face as the illusion villagers began to question what he was so happy about. Reaching into the familiar pool of Force-Energy, Naruto used a Force Repulse to get rid of all of the illusion villagers holing him down. Those who were hit with the Force Repulse flew until they crashed into and broke through the walls of several buildings.

The illusion villagers, now shocked at what had just happened looked in fear at Naruto who got up and began to glare at the villagers. As he glared at them he tried to remind himself that they were just illusions and not the actual ones who had tormented him in his younger years in an effort to calm himself.

Naruto was in realty not only using the tests of the ancient Sith as a way to become a Sith Lord, but also as a way to test his ability to remain neutral in the Force. Naruto gathered up his anger and began using it to fuel the Darkside while at the same time he also began drawing on the Lightside of the Force in order to ensure that he would remain in control.

Eventually Naruto began to feel both halves of the Force become one. That balance is what the Force was suppose to be. With this Naruto was able to do next to anything he wanted. He felt all powerful like a god. He didn't let this go to his head though, after all one of the most important lessons that Revan had taught him was to not let all the power he would get go to his head.

Naruto then noticed the illusion villagers coming back and attacking him again. Rolling his eyes Naruto did something that he had wanted to do for a very long time. He unleashed a devastating blow of Force Lightning. Watching emotionlessly as the fake villagers were fried to their deaths the illusion suddenly ended and the spirit was before him again "_Ah, so you have now mastered your anger and fear. Two key things to master when becoming a Sith Lord, congratulations._" Naruto questioned "Oh and you're not mad that I used the Lightside of the Force as well?" "_Well, I never said anything about you having to use one side or the other. All that the test was about was mastering your fear and anger, which you did. Since I never specified how to go about doing this you were allowed to use any method you wanted. Besides, if there's one thing that Sith are good at, it's how to exploit a loophole. Now on with the second test._"

With that, Naruto was suddenly transported into a different room.

* * *

Once Naruto had managed to regain his senses he realized that he was in some kind of arena. The spirit once more appeared in his vision "_Now for you next test. You must fight, and win._" It sounded easy, but if there was one thing about life that Naruto had come to expect, it was that nothing was ever as easy as if sounded. He was proven right when about twenty Sith Assassins armed with electrostaffs, seven Acklay, four Reeks, and two Rancors came out of nowhere.

Having no weapon other than his Force powers, Naruto could only say one thing when faced with so many enemies "Son of a bitch!". With that, Naruto charged up a large amount of Force power in his hands and charged straight into the mass of enemies. (There is no way I would actually be able to type out this fight, so I'll just skip ahead to where Naruto wins.)

* * *

Naruto finished off the last assassin with a Lightning Whirlwind **(3)**. When the assassin's body came out it was nothing more than a charred corpse. 'At least it matches every other dead thing in the room.' Naruto thought to himself.

For indeed Naruto was surrounded by nothing other than charred up, and dismembered body parts. The Sith spirit could only stare wide eyed at the death Naruto had dished out with the Force. "_Well, that was surprise, to say the least._" Naruto smirked and said "Well what can I say, I guess I'm just full surprises."

The Sith spirit then gained a smirk on its face as it said "_Now, it's time for the final test, and this is one I hope you will fail._" Naruto was confused by this until he was transported into another room that was filled with Sith Holocrons. As many spirits began to come out of the holocrons the original spirit said "_This is the final test, you must be able to resist all of us entering your body and trying to take over your own spirit; of course we will also be battling each other as well so, you're gonna be in a lot of pain pretty soon._" "Oh shit!" was all Naruto was able to say before all the Sith spirits entered his body.

Agony would be a good word to describe what Naruto felt right now.

(1) Yes, Naruto will now wear Revan's old robes. There is a picture in my profile of Revan's outfit.

(2) Force Blast: An advanced form of Force Push, Force Blast simply gathers all of the energy needed for a Force Push into a condensed ball and then unleashes it in a terrifying blast of power. It is really good if your either aiming into a mass of enemies or you're focusing on a single target.

(3) Lightning Whirlwind: A combination of Force Lightning and Force Whirlwind. What it does is creates a Force whirlwind that is enveloped in Force lightning.

And with that chapter two is done. Originally I had planned for it to end somewhere completely different, but the chapter ended up being longer than I expected. As for the new time reference Naruto at the end of this chapter is 19 and Anakin is 13.

Hope you enjoyed, and tune in for the next chapter. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

Naruto didn't know how long he had spent curled up in ball of pain. It could have been minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. All he knew was that the pain he currently felt surpassed any other pain he had ever felt before now, whether it was emotional of physical. It currently felt as though his entire body was being ripped apart right down to the molecular level and put back together only to be ripped apart again.

Every Sith spirit that was in his body was not only battling Naruto for control but also all of the other spirits as well. Having his body destroyed over and over again was really beginning to drive Naruto to the edges of madness. His pain tolerance might be high, but this was on a completely different level.

Naruto tried his best to push them all out, but it was proving to be useless. He just wasn't able to concentrate long enough.

Naruto struggled with himself as he tried to listen to the Force. Even as the spirits waged a battle for possession of his body Naruto was able to hear the faint calling of the Force. To be more specific he was hearing the call of the Darkside. It offered him power, enough power to throw out all of the Sith and end this pain. While Naruto had no doubts that the Darkside could do that, this was about him being able to stay neutral in the Force.

So with all of his remaining strength Naruto strained himself in order to listen to both sides of the Force. He had to temporarily give up control of his body in order to do so, but he was safe in the knowledge that the Sith spirits would still be fighting with each other. The pain was somewhat lessened when he did this, and for Naruto this was a major reprieve. As Naruto listened to the Force he could feel both sides now trying to lure him in. The Darkside's voice was stronger, but he could hear the faint traces of the Lightside as well. Reaching out into his Force-reserves, Naruto began drawing on both the Light and Dark sides and combining them into the desired true form of the Force. Pain was still coursing throughout his entire being, but Naruto kept at it; concentrating on melding the two sides of the Force into one.

Naruto refused to draw himself into one side of the Force; even though both side's voices were getting louder and more persistent. It almost seemed as if the Force was also testing him on his ability to remain neutral. 'Well then, I'm not gonna disappoint.' Naruto thought to himself. As he gathered more and more strength the pain gradually became more and more bearable until finally Naruto returned into his own body and began to force the Sith spirits out.

Once Naruto returned to his own body he was once more hit with the full blast of pain he had originally felt. This time however, Naruto now had a reserve of strength to draw on. It proved to be his saving grace. 'ALRIGHT YOU FUCKING SITH FAGS, YOU'VE OVERSTAYED YOUR WELCOME. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT MY BODY.' Naruto mentally shouted to every Sith spirit. Creating a massive Force Repulse Naruto not only forced just about every Sith spirit form his body but also damaged the room he was in quite badly.

Now free from his burden, Naruto took his time in getting up and stabilizing himself. Once he was stabilized he was once more confronted with the original Sith spirit. "_Hahaha, well boy, looks like you passed._" Naruto who was pretty exhausted from his ordeal said in response "Fuck you." "_Aw, come on, don't act like that, it was a part of the tests that you willingly took. Besides, you passed; so why so mad?_" "Oh, gee, I dunno; maybe it's because I felt like MY BODY WAS DESTROYED RIGHT DOWN TO EACH MOLECULE AND REPAIRED AT THE SAME TIME. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW PAINFUL THAT IS?" "_No, I don't; and I never will._" the spirit said smugly. "Bastard." The spirit merely laughed and continued on with Naruto's success. "_So, now that you've passed the tests, you are now officially a Sith Lord, congratulations. You will now receive no interference from us in whatever plans you have for some sort of war. Also, should you ever need to draw on our power you're more than welcome to. Now, for your victory present._"

A red lightsaber crystal began to materialize in front of Naruto. Naruto held out his hand a caught it as it finished construction. Naruto brought the crystal up close for an inspection. It was a smooth and narrow diamond shape, and it seemed to have a glow, as the was a small red hue around it. All in all, Naruto liked the crystal a lot.

"_Now, for a bit of info on your gift. The crystal is specially tuned to your Force-Energy; that means only you'll be able to use whatever lightsaber you decide to create out of it. Not only that, but it'll increase the power of your Force abilities._"

Naruto whistled appreciatively and was about to leave when he realized he now had something dangling on his neck. Naruto saw that he had now gained a necklace; turning back to the spirit, it guessed what Naruto wanted to ask and answered "_Ah, the necklace you have now gained will be what connects you to all of us. You'll be able to draw our power through that. You may also summon one of us in order to learn whatever it is that we can teach you. However, I would advise you not to lose that necklace, as if it falls into hands that aren't friendly to you and just as powerful, then you may find yourself in some trouble._"

"I'll be sure to remember that." Naruto said as he once more began leaving the cave.

* * *

(Apologies in advance, but I really want to try out the paperwork joke.)

Palpatine was sitting at his desk finishing up some holochart work(Star Wars paperwork) which never seemed to end. Really, it seemed like he had to go over every bit holochart work in the entirety of the Galactic Republic. Seriously, he might be the Supreme Chancellor, but it wasn't as if he had any real power; stupid bureaucracy. Finally when he got done with the last bit of holochart work and was now able to rest his extremely sore hands. Palpatine looked at his hands and saw that they were swollen red. They also seemed to be making a beating sound like a heart; he wondered if that was normal.

Just as Palpatine was about to open up his secret stash of alcohol and enjoy the rest of the evening, one of his aids came in, walked up to his desk and deposited a large stack of holocharts in front of him. Shock was evident throughout his face as Palpatine stared at the new stack of holocharts. "Wha-What is this?" Palpatine questioned, hoping against all hope that it wasn't what he feared it was. The aid responed "Your Excellency, this is the latest batch of holochart work that you need to go through."

At the look of despair on Palpatine's face the aid immediately tried to consult him "Don't worry sir, this isn't all of it…" Palpatine was immensely relieved to hear those words; thinking that he wouldn't have to do all of the current stack on his desk. His relief was soon crushed by the aid's continuing sentence. "…the rest of it is being brought up on a hovercart. There's a lot more where that stack came from; so don't worry. You'll have plenty of work to do your Excellency."

The aids said this with obvious pride in his voice, thinking he had rectified the Supreme Chancellor's fears. He was completely oblivious to the enraged look Palpatine gave him. Just as he was about to walk out of the office Palpatine Force Pushed him against the wall. After that, the aid began to feel his throat constricting. He made choking sounds as he clawed at his throat, trying in vain to open it up. In his last moments he saw Palpatine for what he truly was.

As the Sith Lord tightened his fist, the aid felt his throat constrict further. Eyes bleeding a sulfuric yellow, Palpatine waved his hand causing the aid's neck to be snapped, killing him instantly.

Calling in his Red Guards to get rid of the body; Palpatine slumped back into his chair and thought about the colossal amount of holochart work he was going to have to do. He was about to have a huge mental breakdown when all of a sudden he felt a powerful pulse in the Darkside of the Force. Eyes widening at this, Palpatine stopped what he was doing for a moment in order to ponder on this for a bit.

Deciding he needed to visit his holocrons, Palpatine pressed a button on his desk that turned on an intercom to his secretary. "Valery, I want you to cancel all of my calls and meetings; something extremely important has just come up that I really must attend to." "Yes, your Excellency." was the reply of the female Twi'lek.

Palpatine left his office and went over to his private hanger where he boarded a _Theta_-class T-2c shuttle. After he boarded the shuttle lifted off and headed for The Works; an industrial section of Coruscant which had largely been abandoned by the companies that had owned the place in favor of cheaper production capabilities off world. It was here that Palpatine was able to express his true form; Darth Sidious Dark Lord of the Sith. As he pulled up his hood over his head, Sidious entered a room that was stored with Sith holocrons. Moving over to the center of the room, Sidious entered into a meditative trance as he began to converse with the spirits of the holocrons.

"_Ah, Sidious, what brings you here this time?_" "I'm sure you already know what the reason for my visit is. Now, I need to know what that pulse was." "_Always to the point I see. Very well, that was the signaling of a brand new Dark Lord of the Sith._" "What! That's impossible, there can only be two! My apprentice and I just so happen to be those two!" "_Well, you might want to try telling that to the new Sith Lord. After all he did pass all of the tests on Korriban. Which is more than what I can say about you._" Sidious' eyes widened at that statement. None of the Sith under the Rule Of Two had ever passed the tests of the Sith Lords on Korriban.

There lack of success had not come from a lack trying either. 'Well, great help they turned out to be. I swear, once I'm emperor I won't have to put up with this kind of incompetence (yeah right).' Sidious thought.

"_Oh, come now Sidious. A little competition between Sith Lords never hurt anyone (again, yeah right)._" another Sith spirit said as it came out of a holocron. "_Besides, we're all quite interested to see how this new Sith will influence galactic events. So, I suppose you're just going to have to deal with it."_

As Sidious snapped out of his meditative trance and began walking back to his transport he swore himself that he wouldn't lose this competition, no matter what. Right now though, he had to get back and finish his holochart work, damn the stupid bureaucracy!

* * *

It took Naruto a while to find his way out of the cave, but once he did he was greeted by his faithful HK-47 assassin droid. "**Relieved Note: **Thank goodness you finally made it out of that cave master. **Worried Outlook:** Why, I was starting to wonder if I'd already lost another master so soon."

Somewhat confused by HK's statement Naruto asks "HK, exactly how long was I in the cave?" "**Answer:** You were in there for ten standard galactic days master." This was a surprise for Naruto, who hadn't thought he'd have been there for that long. 'That's somewhat disturbing.' Naruto thought.

As they left the Valley Naruto noticed the large amount of recently dead people that had been in there. "HK, did you have anything to do with all of those dead bodies?" "**Answer:** Why yes master, you see there had been several thugs in the bar who had overheard you when you were looking for a guide to the valley. After you departed the thugs brought the rest of their group and followed you in the hopes of being able to ambush and kill you. **Statement:** As you can see master, they failed miserably in their task."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement at that. "**Query:** Master, now that you are a Sith Lord, do you feel any different from before?" Naruto thought about that for a bit before answering "Yes HK, in fact I feel much better than before. My power, it feels calmer than before; it feels much easier to control both Light and Dark sides of me now." "**Statement:** That is unusual, generally whenever someone becomes a Sith Lord they feel much more powerful, but they are also far less in control of themselves, the Darkside causing them to lose control of their emotions. I suppose that you're just better than everyone else."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement to that. "HK, I want you to go back to the Ebon Hawk and get it started. I'm going into town pick up some supplies." HK nodded its head in confirmation and went back to the ship while Naruto went into town.

Once there Naruto went in search of a store that could sell the parts that he needed. He found everything he needed in a junk shop. As Naruto was walking throughout the small town he saw just how poor the town was. Most of the people were wearing nothing but rags, and he could see a great many of them held their stomachs in pain from not eating much food. It didn't matter if they were human or an alien species, all of them suffered equally.

It was this sort of thing that made Naruto mad. Their situation reminded Naruto of his own when he had been a kid. Nobody seemed to care about all of the suffering that the poor went through. This is what Naruto wanted to change. This is why he vowed to himself that he would build an empire where things like poverty and suffering were kept to a minimum. Oh sure he was still going to be a dictator, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

Things like poverty and suffering Naruto knew he couldn't completely obliterate, no matter how hard he tried. Instead what he wanted to do was help out as many people as he could. He figured that the best way to do that was if he was leader of the galaxy.

Sure, he could have joined the Jedi, but then he'd have been bound by all of their crazy restrictions. To Naruto, the way Jedi ran things; if you so much as enjoyed life you were gonna turn to Darkside. So it would be much easier if he just built his own empire.

As Naruto was thinking about all of this he began to feel a presence in the Force. Intrigued by it, Naruto began to follow the presence as it got stronger. Eventually Naruto found the source of the presence which turned out to be a small boy who was sitting in a corner with his head resting on his folded up legs. The boy had silver hair and amber eyes. His skin was a little on the pale side and he looked like he was in the beginning stages on malnourishment, also he looked like he was five years old. His eyes showed that he had recently been crying if the dried up tear tracks on his face and the slight redness of his eyes was any indication.

The boy also seemed to have a large Force Sensitivity. Easily large enough that had he been found by the Jedi, he would have been spirited away to the Temple for training.

The boy however seemed to not notice Naruto who was now standing right in front of him. It looked like he was lost in his own world. Deciding to bring him out of it Naruto spoke to "Boy, tell me; what is it that you want?"

Startled out of his pondering the boy looked around for a few seconds before settling his gaze on Naruto. As he looked at Naruto for a few seconds he got confused. The man in front of him was dressed up in a plain old tan jumpsuit, yet his voice was laced with such power. He had always been able to feel the power of others, himself included, and no one he had ever met had excluded the kind of power that the man in front of him did. It was like he was looking at a blazing sun that never seemed to lose its power even as billions upon billions of years passed.

The only reason he wasn't already on the floor struggling to breath was because somehow the man was able to keep all of that power in check. He then remembered that the man had asked him a question but wasn't able to recall what it was. In a meek voice he asked "Um, c-could you repeat that?"

"I said what is it that you want boy?" Confused by the question, Naruto decided to specify "Tell me can you honestly say that you would like being stuck like this? Poor, alone, no one to care about you, or you to care about, existing without reason. Is this truly an existence that you wish to have?" The boy responded "n-no, but what can I do? Momma and papa got rid of me. T-They said they didn't need a worthless waste of space anymore. S-So what can I do about that?" The boy was starting to show signs of crying again as tears began to build up in his eyes, his voice stuttered a bit, and he began to shake a little.

Naruto smirked and said "You can join me." The boy looked at him with a bit of surprise. "W-What?" the boy said, not being able to really believe what the man was offering him. "You can join me boy. I can train you, mold you, bring out your full potential. If you join me…then I can give you a reason to exist."

It was those final words that made up the boy's mind. He was someone who had no reason whatsoever to exist, just living without a reason. So to him, Naruto's offer was invaluable. It was finally a chance for him to do something, make something out of himself, and more importantly; it was finally a chance to get off this horrible planet.

The boy saw that Naruto had extended his hand towards him. Taking his hand and pulled himself up to his feet. "Come now boy, it's time we left this planet." With that Naruto made a motion for the boy to follow him. As he followed Naruto he said in response to him "My name's not 'boy', it's Kaemon **(1)**."

* * *

**Location:** Ebon Hawk, Cargo Hold

Naruto sat in a meditative form as he concentrated on building his lightsabers using the Force. Two crystals floated around him as he did this. One was the red one given to him by the Sith spirits while the other one was a blue crystal that was a part of the original lightsaber that Revan had constructed when he was a Jedi. Naruto began to focus assembling the parts for his two lightsabers. Using the Force and his extremely good mechanic skills that Revan passed down onto him, Naruto was able to make many fine adjustments to his lightsaber. For example, he was able to make it so that the lightsaber wouldn't short out when brought into contact with water, and another thing he was able to do was increase the heat output of the blade so that whenever it hit something it would cut through it that much faster.

Naruto was patient when creating each lightsaber. He gave his will to the Force and let it guide him with each one. Once he was done Naruto opened his eyes and grabbed both lightsabers before crossing his arms and activating them. Dark red and brilliant blue came before him, each illuminating his face with their glow. 'Red and blue, light and dark…these two colors are the symbols of opposites. Two halves of the same coin.' To Naruto, wielding these two colored lightsabers would only further symbolize his neutral usage of the Force. He then spun the blades around himself, slashing at imaginary enemies.

The blades felt weightless, like extensions of his arms. They were quick and fluid whenever he moved them; they were perfect. Naruto looked at the designs of the lightsabers that he had constructed. The red bladed lightsaber emitter guard had four spikes that surrounded the blade pointing upward (the blades look like the top of the tower of Isengard from LOTR). The pommel cap of the lighsaber was a cone that narrowed as it went lower. The midsection had a rubber grip so that Naruto could weild it easier.

The blue bladed lightsaber was the same as the red bladed one except for the emitter guard which had four spikes that pointed sideways from the blade. Their bottom ends were dragged out a few centimeters making the spikes look like right angle triangles. Both lightsaber handles were 18.5 cm in length, and the lightsaber style Naruto had chosen was a combination of Jar'Kai, Form VII, and Form V. Jar'Kai was a form that used two lightsabers, and when combined with the aggressive attacking power of Form VII or Juyo, and the defensive/counter offensive power of Form V or Shein; it allowed Naruto to either maximize his attacking power, his defensive power, or split his strength in between the two.

He was only able to split his strength between them while wielding both lightsabers though. Naruto was also quite skilled at using a single lightsaber. Once Naruto was done admiring his lightsabers he went over to the Main Hold where Kaemon was eating several energy bars that Naruto had given him. They weren't the best tasting meal, but they carried all the nutrients that were necessary in a person's diet.

HK-47 was also in the main hold and asked Naruto "**Query:** Master, I am curious to know why you've decided to take this pathetic meatbag with us?" Kaemon glared at HK for saying that about him while Naruto merely chuckled at his question before answering "Well HK, let's just say that Kaemon is like me and Revan." This stopped HK's doubts of Kaemon from coming up again.

Naruto headed towards the navicomputer and began searching through it for information of his master's journeys throughout the unknown regions.

What he ended up finding was something so valuable that if the Republic were to ever find out about its existence, they'd pay him whatever amount of credits he asked for in order to obtain it. What he found were reliable hyperspace routes through the Unknown Regions.

* * *

After launching several probe droids that had been 'liberated' from Korriban in the directions that were guided by the Force, Naruto found what he was looking for. A space faring civilization that dwelled in the Unknown Regions.

Naruto was transmitted the coordinates of the planet that one of the probe droids landed on. He looked at the same coordinates in the navicomputer and found a hyperspace rout that lead to the planet from his current orbit over Korriban. Naruto then set a course for the planet which apparently Revan had decided to name Coranda.

"Um, M-Master; w-where are we going?" Kaemon asked shyly. Naruto smiled at Kaemon and patted his head while answering his question "Well my young apprentice, we're going to a place that will be the start of my new empire."

"Oh." was Kaemon's response to Naruto's answer. "It'll be a while before we'll reach out destination, so I guess now's as good at time as any to start your tortu-I mean training." Naruto said. "Now, give me 40 pushups maggot!" Naruto suddenly said in a harsh voice.

Kaemon was surprised by the harshness in Naruto voice but did the pushups immediately. "From now on maggot, you're going to be in Sith training, which is just another way of saying hell." Naruto said. As Kaemon did his pushups he was able to glance at Naruto and saw that he had now changed into an cameo-uniform and also carried a bullhorn with him. 'How did he change so fast!?' was Kaemon's thought as he entered his hell.

* * *

Kaemon was currently in the infirmary after Naruto had him do a lot of physical training for four hours. It had been mainly to build up some muscles on him. Naruto had honestly been surprised that Kaemon had been able to last as long as he did. It may not look like it, but that boy sure had some willpower.

Naruto was back in the cockpit watching as the ship came out of hyperspace into the edges of the Coranda system.

Naruto had decided to enter so far away from the system in order to keep up his stealth. After all he didn't know just how far the detecting abilities of these people were. Naruto turned off the autopilot took control of the ship (he figured, if he was going to get any practice; might as well start now).

He slowly brought the ship closer to the planet, all the while checking the scanners for any other ships that could be out there. Eventually his scanners picked up the readings of a fleet of warships that was in orbit above the targeted planet. Having the computer indentify the ships, Naruto made an amusing discovery. Apparently the ships in orbit over Coranda were relics from the Jedi Civil War.

A fleet of _Interdictor_-class cruisers, _Centurion_-class battlecruisers, and Derriphan-class battleships **(2) **were clustered around a specific area of the planet. Naruto assumed this to be the capital city. Taking a chance, Naruto guided the ship through the fleet of old, but still extremely deadly warships.

Naruto then noticed he was receiving a transmission. Turning it on, he was greeted with the hologram of some random captain. "Foreign freighter, identify yourself." Naruto simply smiled and waved his hand, influencing the man's mind with the Force. "You will let me pass." "I will let you pass." the captain repeated in a daze. Soon enough the man began to repeat to the rest of the fleet that Naruto was allowed to pass. Not really understanding, and not really caring about one small ship, no one questioned why the captain's mind was so easily changed.

With that Naruto was allowed to pass through the fleet of ships unhindered. He received coordinates for a landing pad in a hanger bay that was located on the outskirts of the city. Descending into the atmosphere proved to be a difficult task for Naruto as he tried to improve his near nonexistent piloting skills. In fact he almost ended up burning up the ship in the atmosphere, or crashing into a completely different place on the planet. Once he had stabilized the ship, the rest of the ride went somewhat smoother.

As the city became visible Naruto was able to see that it was in a state of disrepair. The skyscrapers looked okay if a bit old. It was the many smaller buildings that were the main problem. They could vary from looking pretty good to being a virtual wasteland, and he was seeing this all from the sky!

Once the Ebon Hawk finally landed, Naruto got out of the ship and wobbled for a bit, shaken from his near death experience of piloting. "_I swear to god, I really hate flying_." Naruto muttered to himself.

HK-47 followed Naruto out of the ship and said "**Statement:** So many meatbags in this city to kill. Oh where to start." As HK was about to continue Naruto intervened "HK, you won't be going into the city with me just yet. I need you to stay on the ship and watch over Kaemon."

"**Dejected Statement:** Oh master, now I've been reduced to a babysitter. The humiliation, the indignity, why the ver-" "Yes, yes, I know. Now go and do as I say, or else you'll find yourself on a one way trip to the scrap heap!" Naruto interrupted.

"**Excitement:** Now that is the kind of motivation a droid needs in order to get the job done. I return and watch over the meatbag."

Naruto sighed at his droid's enthusiasm to his cruelty. Once he had managed to regain his balance, Naruto walked out of the hanger and headed over towards the entryway into the rest of the city. The entryway was guarded by a soldier that was wearing an armor Naruto recognized at once. It was the armor of a Sith Trooper during the days of the Jedi Civil War.

The silver armor of the soldier glinted in the sunlight as the solider faced him and spoke "Halt, since your new here, I'm going to have to do an inspection of your ship, and get it recorded into our databanks. I'm also going to need to see some identification." The soldier's voice indicated that he was male.

Naruto used a Mind Trick "You don't need to see my identification, or inspect my ship." "I don't need to see your identification, or inspect your ship." the Sith Trooper repeated, now under Naruto's influence. "You will forget you ever saw me or my ship." "I will forget that I ever saw you or your ship, whoever you are." the Trooper said already starting to forget.

Naruto then walked pass the guard and into the city.

* * *

Naruto kept to the shadows as he traveled across the city; his shinobi skills finally coming into play.

As he traveled hidden from everyone else, he noticed a large amount of people that seemed to be nothing more than beggars. A lot of the people on the streets were dressed up in rags, or old, and faded clothing. This was contrasted by a few people who were wearing regal clothing, and had a look on their faces that said that they were more important than everyone else.

By far the smallest amount of people that Naruto saw were the average class citizens. They were in the extreme minority on the streets.

Deciding to go after one of the rich looking ones, Naruto found someone whose outfit he liked. Jumping down into an alleyway, Naruto called out to the person "Hey you, get over here, I have something important to show you." Annoyed and acting like the jackass he was, the man walked over to Naruto and said in a snobbish voice "What, what is it that you have that could possibly be so important to one such as I, peasant?" "Well, if you would follow me down this alleyway, I'd be able to show you. After all, we don't want any uninvited guests seeing what I'm about to show you." Naruto used the Force to dull the man's rational thought.

Naruto lead the man down the alleyway through a series of bends and turns until they arrived at the spot Naruto desired. Naruto knew that this spot was far enough from the main road so no one from there could hear them. As for the people in the buildings, there were no windows facing them, so they wouldn't be seen that way; and just to make sure no one heard the noise, Naruto had put up several sound wave disruptors. Any sound waves that were produced when killed the man would be immediately disrupted and eventually deconstructed by the time anyone heard them

As they stopped the man let his impatience take over and spat out "Alright, I've followed you to hideaway, so now I think it's you showed me what it is that's so important."

Naruto simply smiled to the man and responded "Why, it's your death of course." The man laughed at that, not able to believe such a ridiculous notion. He was about to go and scare Naruto with his own death threat when Naruto activated his red lightsaber.

Eyed widening at the foreign weapon, the man pulled out a hidden blaster pistol and began firing. Not realizing what a lightsaber truly was, the man was surprised when Naruto used his lightsaber to deflect every single bolt that came at him harmlessly into the ground. Approaching the now whimpering man at a leisurely pace, Naruto continued smiling at the soon to be dead man and spoke in an eerily sweet voice "Now, now, don't be afraid; I promise that this won't hurt a bit."

The man fell on his back in his attempt to get away from Naruto and was now backed into a corner. Naruto the raised his lightsaber, the glow illuminating his face in a red light. The man tried for one last ditch effort in saving himself "P-Please s-stop, I'll-I'll give you anything you want. I'm about to get powerful connections. You can have money, land, power, women, _men?_" The last one was said a bit unsurely. With his eye twitching at the last one, Naruto swung down; decapitating the man.

Picking up the head, Naruto used the Force to examine the memories of the man. Examining and experiencing each memory Naruto deemed important, by the time Naruto was done, he had a large smile on his face.

Apparently this man whose name was Xion was suppose to become the new Royal Adviser to the king of the Sethelonian Kingdom, and he was suppose to meet the king in a few hours. This was simply too good for Naruto. Throwing the head away, Naruto donned the man's clothing which consisted of a white haori and hakama and a shoulder guard on his right shoulder that had a white cape coming out of it. He attached his lightsabers on the belt it came with. Naruto showed them openly, because he knew that no one would actually know what the lightsabers were until it was too late.

Now, how was he going to explain how he had suddenly changed his body structure to the king and everyone else? 'I'll make it up as I go along.' Naruto decided.

* * *

Currently Naruto was at the library researching on the history of the Sethelonian Kingdom. He now knew partially what the Kingdom was thanks to the memories he had gleamed from Xion, but the info wasn't enough for him. Most of the information was no good to Naruto anyway. Plus, Naruto was quite suspicious about the origins of the Sethelonian Kingdom and wished to confirm those suspicions.

After reading the info on the early founding of the Sethelonian Kingdom, Naruto knew his suspicions were correct. The early founding talked about how the kingdom had once been an empire that had been ruled by powerful magicians (or Sith Lords as Naruto had figured out) about 4,000 years ago. At first there had only been one magician that ruled, and they had had a large amount of lesser magicians following them.

The empire had then gone on to conquer a large portion of the galaxy after having betrayed there former government. It never said what the former government was, but Naruto was able to guess. There had only been two magicians who had ruled as the sole leader before the empire had been defeated by the government they had betrayed. It said that the first leader was betrayed by his apprentice and that the apprentice became the new leader.

After the defeat they were ruled by a Triumvirate of magicians that eventually betrayed each other and went down to two and were then defeated by some mysterious warrior, which was obviously a Jedi.

After the triumvirate failed the remnants of the empire scattered to the far corners of the galaxy. One of the remnants was lucky enough to bypass the hyperspace disturbance line that separated the Republic from the Unknown regions **(3)**. Those that were lucky enough to bypass the disturbance line did so at the northern half of the galaxy.

Once they reached the unknown regions the remnants had settled in and took over the lower northwestern half of the Unknown regions.

While Naruto wasn't sure why the history was so vague as to the more specific details (like the fact that the Republic existed), but thanks to his knowledge of up until Revan left for the Unknown regions himself, Naruto was able to piece together everything and come up with an accurate history of the creation of the Sethelonian Kingdom.

Also, another thing that Naruto found weird was the fact that all the planets that were under the rule of the Sethelonian Kingdom had the same names as the planets that Revan had mapped out in the northwestern part of the galaxy. It was scarily similar. In fact, the only thing that wasn't the same as Naruto's maps of the Unknown regions were the markings of the places where the hyperspace disturbance line could be crossed.

For one reason or another, those places weren't on the map. Naruto was curious about all of these mysteries that he was beginning to uncover, but decided to save those for later.

Wondering if the Sethelonian's had any knowledge on the Republic; Naruto went over to a computer and typed into the search engine 'Galactic Republic'. Waiting for a few seconds for the search results to come up; once the results came up Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. All he had gotten was an error message that said the information he was trying to search for either didn't exist or was forbidden knowledge.

Interested as to what forbidden knowledge was suppose to be, Naruto typed in 'forbidden knowledge'. The results he got told him that forbidden knowledge was knowledge that had been deemed unsafe by the Sethelonian Royal Family.

Wondering why the hell the Galactic Republic was considered forbidden knowledge, Naruto knew that something obviously wasn't right with these royals.

Looking at the time, Naruto saw that it was almost time for him to meet up with the king and begin his eventual coup d'état.

* * *

As Naruto walked out of the library, he came upon an interesting sight. Not too far away were a group of armed men that were harassing a shopkeeper. The group contained men that were dressed in a purple-reddish bulky armor. Their helmets were hexagonal in shape and had a single horn coming out at the top, along with two eye holes that were colored black. They carried some sort of curricular device on their left arms, and a lance in their right. Naruto recognized these people as members of the Royal Guard thanks to Xion's memories.

They were apparently being lead by what Naruto would call a fat slob of a man. The was simply no other word to describe him. He had on a set of blue and yellow clothing (don't care what it is specifically), black hair tied up in a bun with a few strands falling down his face, eyes that were a green color, and a fatness that put some of the Akimichi Clan to shame. Really, it looked like he was struggling just to stand up; let alone move his arms around like he was currently doing while talking to the shopkeeper.

Also his face was extremely greasy. It was almost so greasy that it looked like some sort of transparent extra layer. Naruto wondered if this man even knew what a vegetable was.

Amplifying his hearing with the Force, Naruto listened in on the conversation that the fattso was having with the shopkeeper.

"P-Please your highness, i-if you gave me more t-time I could come up with the money. Don't take my daughter please, she's all I have left of my family." the poor shopkeeper cried out with tears starting to roll down his eyes. "Eh, well too bad. Everyone has to pay the tax on time, and for those who don't; they must pay something of equal value in order to show that we of the Royal Family aren't showing any favoritism."

Naruto took note of the fact that the shopkeeper was a Pantoran. Wondering what the hell that type of alien species was doing out in the Unknown Regions; Naruto just summed it all up to bad luck in order to save himself the trouble.

Naruto was somewhat shocked that the fat slob was a member of the Royal Family, but easily kept it hidden.

"Boys, you know what to do." the now fat royal slob said smugly. "Yes sir." were the replies he got in return as two members of the Royal Guard went into the store/house and came out with a struggling, young, and quite attractive Pantoran girl. Naruto could hear the girl crying "let me go you bastards" but that only earned her a slap from one of the guards.

The fat royal slob the said "Just to make sure you understand how things work, I think we should send a more permanent message. The Royal Guards seemed to need no further instruction as they all leveled their lances at the store like blasters. Naruto soon realized why they did this.

Apparently their lances had four spaces evenly distributed at the end of the lance and before the handle where a blaster nozzle was tucked in. The Royal Guards then fired their blaster lances onto the store, breaking glass, blasting apart wood, and virtually destroying anything else of value in the store. The father and daughter could do nothing other than watch in horror as their only means of support was destroyed right in front of them.

Tears were now openly falling down their faces as they looked at the barrage of lasers blasting apart the store. Once the barrage was over one of the guards threw a grenade into the store and walked back at a sedate pace, not worried at all by the grenade. His brashness was well founded as when the grenade exploded it only damaged the inside of the store.

Apparently the grenade was specially designed to cause and spread fires at an alarming rate; as the inside of the store was now covered with fire. It wasn't long before the fires spread to the outside of the store and from there to the second floor where the house was. In a few minutes the entire building was ablaze, with their owners being forced to watch as their home/workplace was burnt to the ground.

The royal slob laughed with pure delight in his eyes as he looked at the defeated faces of the Pantorians. "Now that you've learned your lesson, I believe I'll be taking my 28th wife now." There was no protest from the broken father as his daughter was taken away by the guards. Not even her protests, and calling out to him seemed to do anything for the unfortunate girl. All it really earned her were several more slaps; some of which were in less appropriate places. Several slaves pulled a cart for the slob to get in, and as he did so he forced the Pantorian girl to be with him. He gazed lecherously at her and said "Oh, I'm definitely gonig to enjoy you." With that the slob and his Royal Guards left the father to his misery.

Naruto stared at the scene with an emotionless gaze on the outside. On the inside he was absolutely furious. He was going to have to work for people like that! Oh, he could already feel the bile rising in his throat. He swore that he would have them all killed, when the time was right of course. He felt bad that he couldn't do anything for the poor girl, but he couldn't afford to blow his cover at this moment.

As the royal assholes were leaving Naruto saw an interesting sight. Apparently a bunch of Sith Troopers had also been watching the spectacle, and now that the Royals were leaving they moved in to help the broken man. Naruto was able to feel the absolute loathing for the Royals that the soldiers had. If Naruto had to guess, then judging by the fact that the Royal Guard had just destroyed the Pantoran's property with no remorse or apprehension; then that would mean that they had been doing this for quite some time.

Also, given the deep hatred that the Sith Troopers seemed to harbor for them, Naruto assumed that the Royal's and the regular military forces were at odds with each other, and taking in the fact that much of the city was in an obvious state of poverty, Naruto figured that a civil war was going to take place given enough time. However, now that he was here, he could use all of this to his own advantage.

As the Sith Troopers pulled the broken Pantorian back on his feet and had two of their number guide him away, Naruto noticed that one of the men who was wearing a uniform of a ranked officer (think of Saul Karath's uniform from KOTOR) stared at the retreating form of the slob with utter hatred in his eyes. Naruto knew in that instant that if this man ever got a hold of the slob, he'd kill him in the most painful way possible.

Naruto wondered how the man was able to control himself when he was filled with so much hate and anger and all other emotions that would enable him to destroy. Naruto was sure that had the man been Force sensitive, then the man would have literally been consumed by the Darkside.

Naruto took note of the man's appearance, he had smooth black hair, blue eyes, and a pretty handsome face. He also carried a vibrosword on his left side along with a blaster pistol holster.

As the Sith Troopers and their commander began to leave, Naruto committed the man's face to memory, positive that he would prove a useful ally in the future.

* * *

**Location:** Royal Palace, Throne Room

"Of course my King. It is such an honor to be serving one who is so wise, fair, and just. I only hope that one day, even a little of your greatness can be passed on to one so worthless as myself." Naruto felt like committing seppuku as spoke all of this while kneeling in front of one who would make a Hut look good in comparison.

Naruto had thought that Benarce who was the second son of the king and the fat slob Naruto had previously seen was fat. He was greatly mistaken. In comparison to his father, Benarce looked like an anorexic in comparison. Hell, the king was so fat that he wasn't able to use his own legs anymore and had to lay on a hovercart. Yes cart, not chair, but cart, that's how bad it was.

At one time the King may have looked quite handsome if the old pictures of him were any indication. However that time had long since passed, and now the King was nothing more than a giant ball of fat. Where muscles were once strong, now they were long since deteriorated and covered by layers of fat. His hair was brown, wild, unkempt, and oily. There also seemed to be numerous pimples on his face, along with oil, which was actually visibly dripping down his face. The Kings blue and yellow clothing (which Naruto learned were the colors of the Royal Family) were dampened with a mixture of sweat and oil.

Honesty, Naruto wondered how in the hell this guy was still alive. If his bad health hadn't killed him by now then Naruto was sure that some else would've just to get rid of such an ungodly sight.

"How -pant- very kind -pant- of you… what's -pant- your name?" the King said while panting, showing just how bad his health was. Naruto smiled and said "Why my name is Xion, Darth Xion." Naruto added the Sith title to his new name. "What -pant- a weird name -pant-, Darth." The King contemplated the meaning of the name for a few seconds before his degraded mind began to hurt from overuse.

Finally, one of the Kings aids; in an attempt to move things along said "And now, we are happy to end the initiation ceremony for our new Royal Advisor Darth Xion." Everyone else in the throne room from nobles, military officials, and other members of the Royal Family clapped as the ceremony ended while members of the Royal Guard stood at attention. Naruto inwardly sighed in relief as everyone seemed to accept him as Xion. Naruto wasn't sure why they weren't suspicious of his new look, but he resolved to keep things that way (later on he was to learn that the original Xion was himself a fake created by the people who were looking for a new Royal Advisor in the hopes of killing the King).

As they began leaving Naruto noticed that the same commander from earlier was attending the ceremony, and like last time he was still starting at Benarce with that look of utter hatred.

Curious as to why he stared at Benarce with such hatred, Naruto resolved to find out the cause for such a grudge.

Looking for another military official, Naruto eventually found one who was almost out of the room. Getting his attention Naruto questioned him "Tell me, why does that one over there" Naruto pointed to him as he said this and continued "stare at his highness Benarce with such hate?"

The military official looked surprised for a few seconds before asking "How were you figure that out? Normally Thrawn **(4)** has his emotions under controll." Indeed this was true; while Thrawn had been staring at Benarce with extreme hatred, he hadn't done it in a way that was noticeable. His face had remained quite impassive, in fact that main reason Naruto had known what Thrawn had felt like was because his emotions weren't under control as far as the Force was concerned. That and he was really good at reading a person's eyes.

"I just looked at his eyes, I learned how to read a person's eyes some time ago, and I must say it's a very useful skill to have." Naruto said while acting like a kind and smiling fool (like Sosuke Aizen from Bleach before he defects).

"Well, I guess that would be a useful skill, and as an answer to your question…" here the military official sighed and continued "…well, originally Thrawn was a rising member of the Sethelonian Navy. He had a genius so great that eventually he was about to become one of the youngest people in the history of the Sethelonian Kingdom to ever reach the rank of Admiral. Sadly, he ended up making an error in judgment when he was on a mission in which Benarce, the second son of the king was accompanying him. I don't know the full details of what the mission was about, but everyone knows the punishment that Thrawn received at the end of it."

"And tell me, how badly did he fail the mission in order to attain punishment?" Naruto voiced the question in an innocent voice. "Oh no, he didn't fail the mission at all, in fact he succeeded beyond expectations. The reason he was punished was because he protested orders from Benarce. Again, I don't know the full details, but what I, and everyone else knows is that after the mission, Benarce had Thrawn demoted from his position as a Rear Admiral to that of a Lieutenant. "

"Wait, just a demotion in rank isn't nearly enough of a reason to have that much hate against a person. There has to be more to it." Naruto stated.

"Well, you're right unfortunately…" it was here that the official looked around to make sure that no one was listening in and then continued "…look, please don't tell anyone that I told you this but -sigh- Benarce had several members of the Royal Guard kill Thrawn's father and kidnap his mother and sister. After that his mother was raped to death by the Royal Guards while Benarce took Thrawn's sister and turned her into his sex slave or "_14th wife_" if you prefer bullshit."

Naruto was pretty shocked that Benarce was allowed to do that, even if he was Royalty, and he voiced this too. "Bah, not a single one of those goddamn Royals actually follows the laws that they made. They just make us follow them. Tyrants are all they are. They line their own pockets with credits while the rest of us struggle to make even one. Look, I'm sorry I'm vent at y-" "Oh no, it's quite alright. You aren't an evil person, just an aggravated one. I shall leave your own thoughts." Naruto played the part of a good guy quite well.

With a thank you the official walked away while Naruto began his plans to turn Thrawn over to him.

* * *

Thrawn was currently in the library trying, and failing to not think about new ways of killing Benarce. He sighed and reached into his pocket for his pills. He had been prescribed relaxants in order to help him with his anger. He was already taking an anger management class (which wasn't going so well) and he also had therapy sessions several times a week. Once he had taken the pills and they started working, Thrawn only felt slightly less angry.

As Thrawn thought about all of the things he was doing in order to control his anger, the 23 year old wondered why the hell he listened to his friends when they told him not to kill the son of a bitch that ruined his life and destroyed his family. Normally he was a nice guy, had morals, loyalty, and all of those other good guy traits. Benarce however had largely destroyed them all and replaced it with a burning desire for revenge, which sadly for Thrawn had gone unfulfilled for quite some time.

Thrawn then picked up a holobook called _Military Strategy for Dummies_. Now you might be wondering why a military genius would be reading such a book. Well it was quite simple really, Thrawn always liked to relearn his basics. After all, without the basics, how could any type of complex military strategy be conceived. This holobook also covered the basics of military strategy quite well.

As Thrawn read his holobook in an attempt to calm himself, Naruto reached out with his Force, and made sure that no one was going to be able to listen in on their conversation. Naruto then approached Thrawn, acting like he was merely looking through holobooks on one of the nearby shelves.

Finally felling that he was within hearing distance, Naruto spoke "Tell me Thrawn, are you happy with your lot in life?"

Startled, Thrawn looked around for the source of the voice. Landing his eyes on Naruto, he asked "What?" Naruto put on his fake smiled of kindness and compassion and said "I asked you if you were happy with your lot in life." "What do you mean?" "Oh, I simply mean how you were once a rising star within the Sethelonian Navy, and now you're nothing more than some poor sap whose lost everything." Naruto said with that same smile on his face.

Thrawn was instantly enraged by the comment of this stranger. Had he ever suffered the pain of loss, did he know horrid it was to find the ones you loved either dead or some sort of slave? Thrawn sure as hell didn't know, but he was definitely going to make this guy feel some sort of pain. Thrawn got up from his chair and shoved Naruto into a holoshelf.

"_How dare you!_" Thrawn said in a whisper so as not to risk drawing any attention to them. "_Do you know what it's like, has it ever happened to you, what in the blazes gives you the right to speak to me like that, like, like I was some type of scumbag, or trash that deserved everything he go?. All I did was stand up for innocent people that were about to be killed by that heartless monster Benarce; and what happens? I lose everything because of it._" Thrawn then pulls a blaster pistol to Naruto's head "_I might not be able to kill Benarce, but I can sure as hell kill you._"

Just as Thrawn was about to pull the trigger, Naruto spoke in a calm voice "What if I could help you kill Benarce, and there's no need to keep your voice down. I've made sure that no one can hear us."

Thrawn at first didn't register what Naruto had said, but as his brain began to process Naruto's words, his face for the first time contorted into a furious visage and he once more slammed Naruto into the holoshelf. "Oh, and now you mock me. Taunting me with the very dream I've wanted for so long. What's next, are you going to tell me that my family isn't really gone, that they can brought back from the dead or something utterly stupid like that?" Thrawn didn't realize it but he had already begun listening to Naruto, as he now no longer whispered.

"No, but killing Benarce isn't something that's impossible. It can happen if it's planed right. If join me then I can assure you that Benarce will die in whatever manner you so wish." Naruto was now pushing at Thrawn's mind, weakening his will with the Force. "Join me and I can make sure that your family will be avenged."

Thrawn wasn't an idiot. For some stranger (even though he now recognized him to be the new Royal Advisor) to just come up and start telling him that he could make his revenge possible was more than enough of a reason for Thrawn to call the paramedics and have said person thrown into an asylum.

However, Thrawn was also an angry man who's mind thirsted for the sweet taste of revenge. So, two sides of him were battling it out. One was his common sense which was telling him not to trust this Xion **(5)**, while the other was his revenge driven sociopath which told him to just screw caution and join up with Xion. Thrawn's sociopath was slowly wining due to the fact that he was being empowered by Naruto.

"Now, I suppose I should tell you about myself in order to gain your trust. So you might want to sit down, as it will be a long story." Thrawn did so and Naruto began to tell him all about himself being a Sith, his plans of turning the Sthelonian Kingdom into an empire, and about the true origins of the Kingdom. Needless to say, Thrawn was shocked at learning all of this info. If other people learned of the way the Kingdom was founded it would practically change the way the Royals were viewed. They would change from tyrants to illegitimate rulers. Right now everyone viewed the Royals as descendents of the magicians that had once ruled them.

Not really sure though if he should believe Xion or Naruto as he had been told was his true name, Thrawn asked from some proof. "Why certainly Thrawn, I won't be able to show you my full power here; but the tin demonstration should suffice."

Using the Force Naruto levitated several holobooks and crushed them into tiny scraps of metal while they were in midair. As tiny sparks flew out of the destroyed electronics, Thrawn looked on with interest. While it was possible that he could have been tricked, Thrawn knew the possibilties weren't too high.

"You said you wanted me to join you, well join you in what exactly?" Naruto smirked "Why in toppling the Sethelonian Kingdom and transforming it into my empire of course. I told you already that that was my main reason for being here."

"Very well then, I'll join you, but only if I can get my revenge on Benarce." "But of course Thrawn, after all nothing is free in this galaxy of ours. Lets shake on it." With that, Naruto held out his hand and Thrawn took it.

Their handshake sealed the fate of the Sethelonian Kingdom.

* * *

(1): There is a picture of Kaemon in my profile.

(2): You can look up all of those ships on Wookieepedia.

(3): Look at the galaxy map in my profile for a general idea of how the Star Wars galaxy is set up.

(4): No, not the original Thrawn from Star wars. This is a different guy with the same name.

(5): I may start referring to Naruto as Xion or Darth Xion. Just know that unless I specify otherwise, whenever I say Xion I'm going to be talking about Naruto.

Well this certainly was a long chapter for me to type. I never expected to reach 10 thousand words. Hope you enjoyed.

Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

* * *

"But father please! I'm begging you, let me take an army and crush the Free Kingdoms. They stand no chance against our might and we can only benefit from taking them over!" First Prince Sythan pleaded with the King.

"No, I have -pant- already told -pant- you that we -pant- wont' attack the Free -pant- Kingdoms." the King responded, getting an angry glare from his son as he said so.

"Now -pant- away with you -pant- I have other matters -pant- to deal with." the King said with an air of finality in his voice.

As Sythan was about to come up with an angry retort, the Head of the Royal Guard, a tough looking man with white hair who had a few scars on his face and was dressed in a purplish-red armor that had shoulder guards and a purple cape and was also armed with a vibrosword that was attached to the left of his waist and a blaster pistol that was on the right came forward and spoke "That's enough out of you Sythan, the King has given his orders and you will follow them."

The Head of the Royal Guard said the last part in a threatening voice and Sythan immediately turned a glare on him and said "Watch who you talk to you worthless servant! I don't believe I ever spoke to you, so shut up before I kill you myself!" he yelled.

The Royal Guard members who were in the room as well had reached for their weapons but were confused as to what to do. Their confusion was cleared when the King said "Leave, now -pant- Sythan." he said with a slight hint of anger.

Sythan gave one last glare to the King and the Head of the Royal Guard, whose name was Waylen, before he stormed out of the room with his own personal Royal Guard.

Naruto watched on amused at the events which had just taken place. He had now been serving the King for a few weeks and had built up some trust with him. He was able to see a good amount of the Royal Family, and personally he felt as though they should all burn in hell. But then again, that was just his opinion.

As for Sythan, he found out that Sythan was an extreme military supremacist. The way he went about doing things and the fact that he wanted to increase the power of the Sethelonian military proved that much. The way he did politics was pretty simple, if you were with him you lived, and if you were against him he ordered your execution. As for the actual military he commanded that with an iron fist and tolerated nothing less than absolute obedience from them. The major reason why the military truly put up with his actions was that he had poured as much money as possible into the military and was probably the only reason why there still was a military as the Royals had been trying to make large cuts in the military in order to gain more money for themselves. Sythan had even tried to use money from the Royal Vaults which from what Naruto had gathered contained vast sums of money and other valuables. He had been immediately stopped by his father who was very much against his militant ways.

The current animosity between Sythan and the King was because of their opposing ideals. As heir to the throne, Sythan's fighting with his father only made things more difficult for everyone else, as no one knew who to support. Although, most of the populace would be pretty happy if they just killed each other off. The nobility on the other hand was quite divided over who to support. Most were supporting Sythan, if only because he looked far more healthy than his father did. Indeed, for starters he was physically fit, and he was actually pretty handsome as well. His hair was purple and it went down to his neck while some of it covered his left eye. His eyes were an ice blue and he wore a black armor and had a vibrosword attached to his waist.

Those who supported the King however were some of the most powerful of the nobility and this was a major reason why Sythan hadn't already just gone in and disposed of his father already.

Anyways, as Sythan stormed out of the throne room, Naruto merely smiled at their fight and watched as Sythan was confronted by his little sister Bethany. Bethany was the third child of the King and that made her the Third Princess. She was probably the only one of the Royals who had any shred of decency in them. Naruto, for the life of him couldn't even begin to fathom how she had managed to remain sweet and kind in the face of all the corruption that surrounded her everyday life.

But it was true, she was one of the nicest people on the planet and she had a genuinely good heart. She had tried to help the ailing people of the planet, but the public mass wasn't exactly happy with the Royals and she was unable to do much for them anyways. This meant that no matter how nice she was, the public could care less about her and since she caused no fear amongst the nobility she had no real power. The only reason why she wasn't dead was because she was so nice that they either liked her too much or pretty much ignored her.

"Big brother, I really wish you wouldn't fight with father like that. I'm worried that one day father might really get mad at you! You could be in big trouble then!" Bethany said with nothing but the innocence of a child.

Sythan rolled his eyes and said "Oh, would you shut up you petulant child. Screw what father thinks, I'll do things however I want!"

Bethany flinched at Sythan's rebuke and her personal Knight, a teen around her age who was called Thrace became furious and yelled out "HEY, DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!"

This only caused Sythan to focus on Thrace, whom he grabbed by the scruff of his neck and lifted off the floor.

"YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU WORTHLESS PILE OF SHIT! MAKE NO MISTAKE THAT YOU ARE COMPLETELY WORTHLESS TO ME, AND IF YOU WEREN'T MY SISTER'S GUARD I'D KILL YOU MYSELF!" Sythan then took a few deep breaths before he spoke in a quieter tone "You had better watch who you talk to, because next time they might not be so forgiving."

With that final warning Sythan walked away from them while Naruto shook his head at how easily the man was riled up. He knew however that he would at least need Sythan's trust if only until he could find the right opportunity to kill him. Approaching Sythan who was now in a secluded hallway Naruto began to speak.

"Well, well First Prince, I have to say that I'm quite sad to see that your father couldn't see things from your point of view." Naruto said.

Just as Sythan was about to shout insults at the man his brain registered what he had just heard. "Really? I thought you of all people would be in agreement with my _father_.", he said the word with disgust.

Naruto smiled and said "While I agree on your father with a lot of things, the fact that he doesn't strengthen the military nor make what can only be described as beneficial movements to securing Sethelonian power does drop my opinion of him." '_Not that that changes my first opinion of him by much anyways._' Naruto thought to himself.

"You however, I can see turning the Sethelonians into a true force to be reckoned with. Under your leadership, we could possibly rule the entire galaxy." Naruto played to Sythan's lust for power while also influencing his mind with the Force.

Sythan, whose mind was being clouded was unable to realize that Naruto had no reason for helping him out. Instead all he saw was what Naruto told him.

"Your right advisor, I could easily conquer the known galaxy, if only my blasted father wouldn't keep getting in my goddamn way!" Sythan spoke.

"Well, I think I can help with that problem." Naruto replied.

"What do you mean?" Sythan said.

"Well, as the King's Advisor, I should be able to pull some strings that could get you your invasion fleets. After all, your father should be able to trust me; that's why he picked me to be his adviser." Naruto said with a smile.

Sythan said excitedly "How soon can you have the fleets prepared! I want to set out as soon as possible!"

"It should take about nine months." said Naruto.

"Nine months, what for!" Sythan said angrily.

"Well, most of that time is going to be spent convincing your father to okay the invasion. After all, even I can't just go straight up and ask him. Besides, there are other things you will have to do before you invade the Free Kingdoms. For starters, getting rid of the pirates that have be plaguing our trade systems would be a good place for you to start with. You needn't worry about getting that set up, convincing your father to allow their elimination will be easy." explained Naruto.

"Now, I'll tell you when I get the okay from you father, until then you had best better leave me. I have other duties to attend to." Naruto said to the still mind clouded Sythan who merely nodded in agreement before leaving.

Thrawn who had been hidden off to the side walked up to Naruto and asked "You're not planning to let him live are you?"

"Of course not, however we won't want him interfering with any of our plans, and the best way to do that is to let him think that I'm on his side. Besides he's going to be quite useful at eliminating most of the enemies that plague the inside of the Sethelonian Kingdom. For instance, you know those pirates that I was telling him about. Well it turns out that a few members of the Royal family have been using them to increase their own pockets. They intentionally let the pirates attack the shipping lanes and do nothing about it because the pirates give them 60% of the loot. The King is in on it too and that's a major reason why nothing has been done about them." Naruto explained.

"But, if the King's in on it too then how will yo- oh right, I forgot, you'll just use your life cheating powers and everything will fall into place, won't you."

"Hey! I don't use the Force to cheat at life… okay maybe a little, but it's so much fun!" Naruto whined.

Thrawn sighed and said "Whatever." before he got serious and said "Now, I believe that you wanted a report on all those who would be willing to join our cause. Based on what I know of our military, a majority of them would join up, however there are elements that are loyal to the Royals. Those will be the ones that we will have to eliminate first. Either that or we could just replace their leaderships with people who are more susceptible to our ideas."

Naruto thought over it for a moment and the responded "Have them eliminated. I don't want anyone around whose loyal to those bastards." he said with disgust.

Thrawn nodded in agreement before adding in "By the way, I've already started to gather up men for you. There are plenty of men whose loyalties I've won throughout the rising part of my career, enough to form a small army in fact. And these men aren't slouches either. They're quite experienced in combat, and they hate the Royals almost as much as I do. And that's saying something." he chuckled bitterly at the last part.

Naruto gave a smile and said "Well, looks like competence runs strong in your veins. Makes me wonder why I'm even needed for this takeover." he joked.

"Anyhow, how much of the navy have you managed to convert." Naruto asked.

"Well, I haven't started on the navy yet, but I know people in there that would be more than happy to join up." answered Thrawn.

Thrawn then remembered a question he had "Hey, Naruto, when you were talking to Sythan back there, why did you say that it would take nine months for an invasion of the Free Kingdoms to be ready? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take that long."

"Simple really, in nine months, we'll overthrow the Sethelonian Kingdom!" Naruto said with a smile.

"Excelent." Thrawn said with a smirk.

* * *

**Location**: Naruto's Private Residence

Kaemon sweated as he swung his training lightsaber, practicing the first Form which was known as Shii-Cho. Shii-Cho was the basic form which contained all the fundamental elements of all the lightsaber forms, including the basic attack, parry, body target zones, and practice drills called velocities. He had been practicing the Shii-Cho for two hours now and was going for one more. Afterwards he would rest by meditating and trying to tune himself into the Force.

Previously Kaemon had do a workout consisting of hand-to-hand combat with HK, lifting weights to build up his muscles, and running around an obstacle course to increase his stamina and his dodging skills. The training Naruto was putting Kaemon through was hard, especially for a five year old, but in Kaemon's eye's it was all worth it. He was finally given a purpose, he meant something to someone; and if that meant that he had to go through this difficulty then he would do it.

While Kaemon was practicing, Naruto entered the building and went to get HK. As he walked around the elegant building he thought about how he had gotten it. The reason he had a luxurious house was because he was the King's Advisor.

Once Naruto found HK he spoke "Ah, HK; remember how you've been complaining about not being able to kill anything as of late. Well complain no further. I've already compiled a list of people whom I want you to kill."

"**Joyous Response:** Oh thank you master, I promise to make sure their deaths are extra painful."

"Actually you might not be able to do that. I kinda need their deaths to not be seen as assassinations and more so unfortunate accidents." Naruto said with a small sweatdrop.

"**Resigned Statement:** How disappointing, very well then master, at least I get to kill them so it isn't too bad."

"_Right_." was Naruto's response.

While HK went off to go and review the list Naruto went to watch Kaemon train. Naruto had to admit that the boy was quite good. He had a natural talent that when combined with his determination made him an upcoming prodigy. He was quickly learning the Shii-Cho Form and his skill with a lightsaber was already going up. When he had first started out, Kaemon was unable to even protect himself from a single stun droid; and in a few weeks he was now already practicing against three of them with a blindfold.

Of course, Naruto also liked to give some credit to himself, he was a decent teacher if he said so himself. However even though the boy was progressing at a very fast pace he still had a long way to go. Kaemon hadn't even had his first kill yet. He was far too innocent, but Naruto consented to breaking that innocence at a slow and steady pace.

Naruto saw that Kaemon was practicing trying to tune in with the Force and, curious at how his student was doing decided to sense his attunement himself. Naruto reached out with the Force and felt Kaemon's Force Energy. He found out that Kaemon's energy while getting there, was still quite unstable and uncontrolled. It would seem like it would still take a while before he would be able to train using Time Block. Naruto wanted Kaemon to have a better attunement with the Force before he started training him with such an advanced method. '_Well, the boy is young, can't expect him to be fast at everything. His attunement will come with time and training._' Naruto thought to himself.

Deciding that Kaemon had done enough practice for one day Naruto called out to him "Oy Kaemon, you can stop for today; you've done enough training!"

Kaemon was startled from his meditation and jumped high up into the air before crashing back down due to the laws of gravity.

"Owwww." moaned out Kaemon. "Why'd you have to scare me like that master?" Kaemon asked.

"Cause, it's funny, duh! Besides, getting scared builds character." Naruto retorted.

"Since when!"

"Since I just said so."

Kaemon grumbled while Naruto laughed. While Kaemon was loyal to Naruto and would never question his orders, whenever Naruto acted silly it always brought out the five year old kid that he was supposed to be.

Naruto smiled at Kaemon and patted him on the head, ruffling Kaemon's hair in the process. Kaemon smiled while he wondered whether this was what is was like to have a father who cared about you.

* * *

"Sniff, Sniff" Bethany struggled not to cry. She had been devastated by how Sythan had treated her and her friend/protector Thrace. Sythan was usually tolerant of her if nothing else. However he had been more brutal than usual when she had tried to get him stop arguing with their father. She had only been trying to warn him because she genuinely cared for her brother, even if he was an asshole.

Thrace looked at Bethany with sorrow. He wanted to comfort her, hold her close and whisper to her saying that it was alright, that Sythan didn't mean anything he said, that everything would work out. He had fallen in love with her from the day he first met her. This was six years ago (he's currently 16 along with Bethany), back when he was still in the Royal Guard training school which was known as the Royal Academy over at their headquarters.

_Flashback_

_Several bullies that had been chasing him in the school. They were chasing him simply for the reason that they had failed a test recently and they had decided to take their frustrations out on some unlucky sap. That unlucky sap just so happened to be Thrace who's only fault was simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time._

_Thrace had simply been walking around the hallways trying to get to his next class when he walked in on one of the bullies saying that they should just beat up the next kid that they saw. They all agreed and when one of the bullies saw him he yelled out "Hey, there's fresh meat right there!" Thrace had taken that as his queue to run._

_Thrace had managed to see what they were wearing before he ran and knew from that that they were nobility as well. He was stronger than them and could have easily turned back and fought them but since they were nobility Thrace could have gotten in big trouble if he had attacked one of them. So he ran from them and was hoping to lose them but instead ran into Bethany and knocked her down injuring her slightly._

_Two members of the Royal Guard had instantly hauled him up by the scruff of his neck while a third one gently helped up Bethany. "HOW DARE YOU SULLY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS. YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" said one of the Royal Guard. _

_One of the Royal Guardsmen began to choke Thrace while the other took out his lance and was about to stab him with it when Bethany suddenly cried out "WAIT!"._

_This stopped them as they then turned to look at the princess who said "Don't hurt him! I'm sure he didn't mean to do it. It was just an accident, there's no need to kill him over it!" Bethany said worried._

_"B-But your highness, this piece of trash has dared to injure you. Not mention that this filth also happens to be a trainee for the Royal Guard! We can't allow this shame on honor of the Royal Guard and Family to exist." one the Royal Guard said before he went back to preparing to stab Thrace._

_"I SAID STOP! I ORDER YOU AS A PRINCESS OF THE SETHELONIAN KINGDOM TO STOP!" screamed Bethany. This immediately stopped the Royal Guardsmen who bowed before her in apology. After that she ordered them all to leave. They had been about to protest again about how she shouldn't be left alone with such filth when she glared at them silencing their protests. _

_Thrace stared at her amazed as she asked if he was alright. _

_"W-Why? Why'd you save me your highness?" Thrace asked confused. _

_Bethany smiled and said "Because you didn't deserve to be killed. All you did was bump into me, that wasn't a crime last time I checked. Plus, I also hate killing, its mean and downright hurtful; and in the end everyone is sad." _

_Thrace looked at her with wonder in his eyes. With her kind and smiling face she was radiating an aura of peace, and in Thrace's eye's she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She had light brunette hair, eyes that were a radiant green, fair skin that looked smooth and creamy, and an angelic face that looked like all the innocence of every child in the world had been gathered up and placed into her._

_Thrace swore to himself that one day, he would be the one protecting her just like she had protected him today._

_Flashback End_

Once he had graduated from the Royal Academy he immediately set out to distinguish himself from the rest of the Royal Guards. At first he had had no success, but later on an opportunity came up when several terrorists tried to kill Bethany while she was traveling through the city. He hadn't been on her guard detail but he had been nearby and had instantly gone to her defense. Most of the Guards that had been with her were initially killed in the terrorist's surprise attack so Thrace's appearance and vicious defense of Bethany had been a welcoming relief for the remaining guards. They were able to fight off the terrorists and kill them all. Afterwards Thrace was commended on his bravery and sense of duty and was put on Bethany's personal guard as a reward.

This meant that his paycheck was increased but he got substantially more authority over the men in the regular military. All members of the Royal Guard had authority over the regular troops with the lowest of the Guard having a rank equal to Captain. As for Thrace's authority, it was elevated to that of a Major.

Once he was on Bethany's personal guard it took a while, but she eventually recognized him when he had taken his helmet off once due to it being an extremely hot day. Bethany had been happy to see him again and Thrace was honored that she would even remember him at all and from there it was only a matter of time as the relationship between the two deepened and Thrace eventually became her personal Knight.

For Thrace, this was the highest honor that there could ever possibly be for him. He did everything in his power to make sure that Bethany was safe and happy. Right now however, Thrace felt that he was sorely failing in his duty as her personal knight. He didn't know what he could say to Bethany without insulting Sythan, so he opted for staying quiet. That proved to be difficult as he saw her continue to grow closer to crying.

Finally, he decided to take a risk and grabbed her, embracing Bethany in a warm hug. Bethany was surprised at first but then realized that Thrace was hugging her.

Thrace then spoke "I know that what Sythan said hurt you, that what he said wounded you more so than any blade. And I also know that I'm no good with words. I don't know how to explain that everything will work out, that everyone one will get along and make this nation of ours happy. All I do know is that you're hurting and that I'll be here for you if you ever need me."

Thrace knew that he was way overstepping his bounds. Hugging the Third Princess was not what a Personal Knight was supposed to do. Protect her yes, get intimate no.

Bethany held a small blush from what Thrace was doing but stayed in the embrace. She did admit she had always held some form of attraction for Thrace. His blue hair, and grey eyes gave him a unique look. He was well built too, not overly muscular; but enough to make him attractive. His face was more rounded than angular and he had a kind look about him.

Thrace had always been kind to her and that was one of the things she had loved about him. Bethany had grown up in an environment where kindness was treaded upon by hate and greed. So for even the smallest amount of kindness and sincerity to be shown to her by someone had truly made her happy.

"T-Thank you, Thrace." Bethany said a little shaken as she stayed within his embrace.

"If you ever need me your Highness, I'll always be there; I promise you that." Thrace said with all the conviction he could muster.

* * *

Nestor hummed happily to himself as he walked towards his speeder. He was a noble of medium importance, and governed a few minor planets that were in the Kingdom. Right now he was on the capital in his private villa and was going to go for a joy ride throughout the Corandian countryside to see some of the beautiful scenery the planet had to offer, especially since the capital city was in ruins.

As he came up to his speeder he noticed a droid that was standing next to it. As he got into the speeder the droid spoke "**Statement:** Greetings Nestor Gilame, I have preformed all maintenance checks on the following vehicle and have concluded that it works. Please enjoy your ride."

"Uh, okay." Nestor said, a bit confused at the maintenance droid.

Nestor then took off and rode through the city, heading towards the countryside. While he was driving, Nestor thought to himself '_Man that was a weird maintenance droid. I wonder when the hell I bought it. Oh well, probably just needs a memory wipe. Wait, I've never seen that droid before in my life. Where the hell did it come from! Ahhhh, I'm thinking too much about this._'

As he continued driving, Nestor soon had to come to a stop to allow a large cargo transport to go past him. As he pressed on the brakes, Nestor noticed nothing wrong at first until after a few seconds he saw that he wasn't slowing down. He decided to press the brakes down a bit more, but that didn't change his speed at all. Nestor began to press the brakes frantically as he headed towards the cargo transport. When he finally realized that the brakes were broken it was already too late. Nestor screamed as he tried futilely to turn his speeder and avoid a crash with the transport.

HK-47 walked out of Nestor's villa with all the information that Naruto needed in order to take control of Nestor's finances. As HK left the building it spoke "**Self-Satisfaction:** I said that the speeder worked. I just never said that it worked correctly."

* * *

The atmosphere around the Eastern Barracks was tense from what Naruto could sense. Thrawn had gathered all the soldiers loyal to his command and had stationed them at the Eastern Barracks. Most of them didn't have the faintest clue why they were here save for the fact that they were told that Thrawn himself had called them all here to give them vital information. That of course had gotten a majority of them to come here right away. The more cautious ones had investigated first but hadn't found any lie about Thrawn calling them.

As the soldiers chatted amongst themselves Naruto was talking with Thrawn.

"So, are all these soldiers serving under the same command or are they spread out?" Naruto asked.

"Their more spread out. It was quite difficult getting hold of all the soldiers under my old command and it is possible that I may have missed a few, but they'll get the info if tonight's meeting is a success." answered Thrawn.

"Good, having them spread out will allow our message to travel through the ranks faster." said Naruto

One of the Sith Commandos who was a part of the troops came up to the two and asked Naruto "My Lord, are you ready to reveal your plans to the soldiers. If you are I'll call them to attention immediately." There were a total of ten Sith Commandos here and Thrawn and Naruto had already told them what they were going to accomplish.

The Commandos had quickly agreed and were now also a part of the plan. Naruto nodded towards the Sith Commando and he took that as his queue. He quickly contacted his fellow Commandos who all went to the front of the crowd and began yelling for the troops to get into order. The soldiers quickly lined up and had stood at attention.

They all looked at the stage where a podium was and watched with confusion as Naruto walked up to the front of the podium. Naruto gave a smirk at the confusion on their faces and spoke "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why we're here today aren't you? Well for starters, you were chosen to come here based on a fact that all of you share. You all hate the Royals and have a personal vendetta against them."

When Naruto said this a spike of worry went through the crowd and the soldiers tensed, making sure their blasters where ready to be drawn. Naruto only smiled as he saw everything going as he had predicted so far.

"Now you all must be thinking 'Oh no! He knows about our treasonous thoughts! What's he going to do, rat us out to the Royals, have us all executed for treason, our families murdered for our hate, my land taken away from me, lives destroyed? No, that is not why I have had you all assembled. You see, I also happen to hate the Royals just like each and every one of you. I have seen the tyranny that they have, I have seen the horrors that they commit, I have seen as they carry out crimes with such a degree of comfort you'd think that was what they were born for!" Naruto ended this with a yell.

"But don't just take my word for it. I have told you that I hate the Royals, but I have given you no such proof. Well, allow me to prove myself." and with a wave of Naruto's hand Thrawn came from behind him and kneeled to Naruto shocking many of the troops.

Thrawn then spoke "I have dedicated myself to this man here for my own selfish goals. However, he does not lie when he says that he hates the Royals, and I know for certain that he will be the one to lead us. Lead us into a new future that is prosperous and free of those wretched scum who currently rule over us. If we follow Xion then the anger which each and every one of you has felt will finally be sated!" Thrawn finished.

Now the troops were much more moved to Naruto's side when they saw that even Thrawn was working with him. Naruto gave an internal smile as he felt the troops become more accepting of him.

He then spoke once again "And now you have all witnessed proof from one who is the most righteous in their vengance! But tell me, Thrawn was not the only one wronged now was he? YOU! Over there, tell me how have the Royals wronged you!"

The confused soldier pointed at himself to make sure it was him and when he spoke, it was with a nervous voice, "Well, uh, t-the Royals, t-they took my home. They kicked my family off our land and forced us to move into a city. I had to enlist just to insure my family still had a source of income." he said the last part with anger.

"And what about you soldier, what crimes did the Royals commit against you!" Naruto asks while pointing at another trooper.

"My family is forced to pay outrageous taxes. We're barely getting by as it is, and the Royals when they heard of the problem that my family and numerous others also faced, instead of lowering the taxes they just had the Royal Guard come in and take all the money we had. Now poverty has destroyed my old home town and my family died of starvation!"

"And You!" Naruto continues.

"They had their Royal Guard kill my best friend because he said something that sounded like an insult to the Royal Family!"

"They've destroyed entire communities and had countless people murdered just so they can have their possessions!"

"My wife was taken to become slave to them!"

"They're no better than beasts, fucking beasts!"

"Their monsters in human flesh!"

"Death to the Royals I say!"

"Yeah, we should march up and slaughter them all!"

"YEAH!" was the cheer that was starting to go throughout the crowd. Naruto smirked when he saw that he had them all riled up. Now they would listen to anything he'd say.

"QUIET, ALL OF YOU!" Naruto yelled out in a powerful voice silencing them all. "I understand that the anger you feel in your hearts calls out for revenge. I know that hate slowly consumes you until you rage on out of control. These emotions are natural and they are perfectly fine for you to have. However, you can't let them get out of control. Do you honestly think that we can just go up there to the Royal Palace and kill everyone there. Don't kid yourselves. At the most you number at three thousand; the Royal Guard numbers at twenty thousand. They are an army in their own right and not only do they have better equipment and numbers, but they also have better training."

Many soldiers grimaced at this. They knew it was true; being a member of the Royal Guard got you the best Sethelonian tech that money could buy. You also got great combat training. Nothing that could ever match them against a Jedi or such, but more than enough to make one Royal Guard member a match for five Sethelonian Troopers.

"They aren't all in the Royal Palace but that doesn't mean that they can't get their before us. Their headquarters is located very close to the Royal Palace and that is where the majority of the Royal Guard is. And even if we did succeed we would only look like power hungry men without the support of the people. So now, here is the big question. What do we do? I've ignited your anger, told you that I myself hate the Royals, so what is next?" Naruto spoke.

"Well, as Thrawn told you all earlier; listen to me and I can lead you into a new future. One in which every Royal is dead with their spirits rotting in hell! I can lead you all into a rebellion which can overthrow this regime and establish a new one. Swear yourselves to me and I can bring down everything that is despicable about this society! I can burn down this wretched government and from the ashes establish a new order. One that is just and fair, where order and prosperity are the norm not the exception! Join me, and I will build an Empire which will throw off the shackles that bind us to this horrid existence, and create a new and better Galaxy!"

The soldiers began to cheer at the end of Naruto's speech and started chanting "Xion!" **(1)** repeatedly.

'_And with this, I grow ever closer to your fall. So my dear Royals, enjoy your last nine months in this existence while you can. Because soon you'll be nothing more than rotting corpses._' Naruto thought to himself.

* * *

**Two months later**:

Two months had passed since Naruto had given his speech to the men loyal to Thrawn. During that time he had ordered those troops to begin spreading word of his rebellion to soldiers under specific commands. These commanders were ones that Naruto knew hated the Royals as well and would be more than likely to join him, especially after Thrawn was sent to convince them. Word soon spread throughout the ranks of how a rebellion was forming again and that Xion was leading it. This got many reactions from various people in the military that Naruto had not sent Thrawn or his soldiers to. While some were eager to join and placed themselves under Naruto, others were not as eager and others still were quite skeptical that Naruto was planning a rebellion at all or that he would succeed.

Still, it seemed like everything was going well for Naruto. The Royals had yet to catch wind of any sort of plot whatsoever and Naruto's forces were slowly growing. As for convincing the skeptics, this was going to require a show of some sort of power, and Naruto knew exactly how to do that.

"My king, think about it. The pirates are taking away that which rightfully belongs to you. You make a profit off the taxes that are paid by traders when they make money off of trade, which means that the pirates; by raiding and stealing their goods are in reality stealing your profits as the traders are unable to trade anything. Therefore we must punish these inferior pirate scum and annihilate them in order to show that no one steals from the King." Naruto explained.

Naruto could see the nervousness in the King's eyes. He was probably trying to find a way out of getting rid of the pirates but Naruto had him pinned. All of Naruto's points were valid so ignoring them would weaken his standing. On the other hand, the amount of money he made from the pirate's activities was far more than what he made based on the taxes gotten from the traders. Finally, the King conceded to Naruto's view when he was unable to figure out how to counter Naruto's argument.

"Very well -pant-, the pirates -pant- must be eliminated -pant-." The King responded.

"Excellent decision, your majesty. And I know exactly who will lead the campaign. First Prince Sythan is more than capable of leading this campaign, I recommend that he set out immediately though in order to maximize the element of surprise. The pirates have thus far not had any sort of opposition whatsoever, and as such they won't be expecting an attack when it comes." Naruto said.

The King was subtly Mind Tricked into agreeing which caused shock amongst the rest of the Royal Family. Most of the Royals had never expected the King to do anything about the pirates as they had been plaguing the trade routes for years and nothing had ever been done about them. For those who were in on the scheme, they wondered why the hell the King was allowing their and his profits to suffer.

Sythan wouldn't spare any of the pirates so there was no hope of reorganizing them and many profits that they gained from the pirates would dry up. The King himself was slowly finding himself in a haze where everything Xion was saying was starting to make more sense. He tried to convince himself that Xion was wrong and that he was also a part of the scam, but Xion's logic and use of the Force were far too strong for the King's weak mind to resist.

"Also my King, I believe you've heard about the recent deaths of several of the nobility?"

The King nodded his head, which took a bit of effort; and Naruto spoke again.

"Well, then I suppose you also know that the transition of their assets and offices that they held will need to be taken care of."

The King nodded his head again whilst inwardly cursing the fact that he had to deal with the nobles scrambling to grab the power left behind by those who had died.

Naruto smirked inwardly and began to extend his influence over the King's mind again, warping it as he sought to make the King subservient to his goals.

"My King, you need not worry yourself with handling such things. You're above these troubles which seek to plague you. Please, allow me to handle the transactions. After all, why should you have to work when rest is so easily within your grasp?"

The King was quickly agreeing with what Naruto was saying while the rest of the court was starting to get a bit worried at what Naruto was saying. They got even more worried when they all saw the King nod his head to it and then saying out loud that he agreed to having Xion handle the transactions.

Even the Head of the Royal Guard Waylen expressed his concern with the decision only to be silenced by the King. Naruto smiled as he was put in charge of the transitions, this was a vital part in his plans and it was important that he be put in charge of the transitions. Now he could just simply place all of the power that the nobles had under himself while setting up proxy governors and such.

"You needn't worry your majesty, I will use the power you have so wisely given me responsibly to ensure the wellbeing of the Kingdom." Naruto finished.

* * *

Naruto was currently scanning through the accounts of the nobles that HK had killed so far. The amount of money that all of them had together was a huge amount; easily enough to begin the charity works that Naruto wanted. The charity works were going to be used to gain the support of the people while at the same time denounce the Royals even more, ensuring that when the time came; Naruto would be seen as a hero to the people for freeing them from the wretched rule of the Royals.

Naruto's charity works were mainly going to include giving food, shelter, and many other basic needs that a majority of the Sethelonian population were not receiving. In addition Naruto was also planning to use the money to begin raising more troops to help with his take over.

Raising more troops would also create more jobs thus making people happier as work was really hard to come by at current times.

Once Naruto was done scanning through the accounts, he picked up a map which had records from the Ebon Hawk's travels which had been taken from its navicomputer. Naruto searched through them in the hopes of finding a specific planet that Revan had been to before. It was taking a while as the Ebon Hawk had been through many planets and had accumulated a vast amount of locations.

Finally when Naruto found the place he was looking for he smiled; once he had acquired what he wanted, there wouldn't be anything that could stop him.

* * *

**Location**: Lehon System

Five Sith Interdictors along with a fleet of construction ships appeared out of hyperspace in front of the planet Lehon, otherwise known as Rakata Prime. Naruto was inside the head Inderdictor and was commanding the fleet. Naruto had 'convinced' the King to let him go on this expedition to set up a 'mining operation' on a planet that had been found to 'have a great abundance of gold'.

While the thing that Naruto was here for wasn't gold, if it was still their then it was something that was far more valuable in the long run than mere gold. The fleet Naruto had accompany him was made up of men who had joined him in his coup so any chance of word reaching the Royals of what he was actually going to do here was slim to none.

"Alright, Canard have the fleet stop here. I don't want it getting damaged from the debris that surrounds the planet."

Indeed. Lehon was surrounded by massive amounts of debris that if one wasn't careful of, could easily kill you. The debris was leftover remnants of the massive battle that was fought here at the end of the Jedi Civil War all those years ago. It was filled with many valuable resources that could easily be used to build many things if it was collected. Now, one might wonder why such valuable resources were left floating in the orbit of a planet. The reason for this was because the Lehon system wasn't a very well known system anymore.

Back during the end of the Jedi Civil War, Lehon was incorporated into the Republic and for a time it was well known as the site of the final battle of the Jedi Civil War. However, there were not many visitors to the planet as the Republic had quarantined the system in order to help keep some semblance of order; as with the chaos of the aftermath of the war the Republic did not need to have people panicking over the fact that an ancient species known as the Rakata who had once enslaved much of known galaxy were back.

With the planet quarantined, and the Rakata refusing to leave, resulting in their extinction due to an ever limiting gene pool, Lehon eventually fell into the back of the Republic's mind. As the years passed and other wars damaged the Republic, Lehon was eventually forgotten; its location now lost to the Republic.

That would in the future become one of the Republic's greatest mistakes. But for now it was blissfully unaware of what was going on at Lehon.

"Prepare my personal shuttle Canard. I'll be taking with me a few squads of soldiers as well. I want you to stay here and be in charge while I go and investigate the planet surface, understand?"

Canard nodded his head and said "Yes, Lord Xion."

Once the shuttle was ready it took off from the hanger and navigated its way through the debris, eventually it got through and began its descent to the planet surface below. It landed in the area that Naruto had specified and once everyone save the pilots began getting out. Many of the soldiers were surprised by the warm and tropical climate that the planet had. Many of them had to admit it would make a nice vacation spot.

Those thoughts were quickly dashed as Naruto commanded them to follow him. They all marched up to the location of the Temple of The Ancients. Naruto was really glad that the Rakata were now extinct as this made entering the temple so much easier. The temple doors were still blocked by the force field which Revan had required the Elders help to get past. This was not the same for Naruto who used his command over the Force to deactivate the force field. Many of the soldiers were confused by what Naruto had done but followed him anyways as most felt it better to not ask questions.

Once inside the temple Naruto commanded the Sethelonian Troopers to begin searching through the whole temple to begin mapping out the temple and start clearing it up as well while a small amount would stay with him.

Naruto was currently trying to find a computer terminal that Revan had used all those years ago to gain the secrets to the Rakata's ultimate weapon, the Star Forge.

Naruto stopped for a moment and began using the Force to try and find a trace of Revan's signature and follow its path. This was extremely hard to do as not only was Revan dead, but the signature was 4,000 years old by now and would have disappeared considerably. However a trace amount would remain no matter what. The major problem was finding it and following its trail. Naruto struggled for a few minutes to find the signature and follow it while the soldiers just stood looking at Naruto confused as to why he was just standing there with his eyes closed.

Eventually Naruto was able to lock onto the trace of Revan that still remained. Once he found it he began to follow it towards the computer terminal that contained the secrets to the Star Forge. Once he got to the terminal an eerie smile appeared on Naruto's face. He activated the terminal and began analyzing the information that was on it.

'_I can't believe it! It's all here, the blueprints to the Star Forge. Everything needed to build it also just so happens to be floating around this very planet. This is too perfect, as long as I'm not discovered by any Republic ships, I could very well have a second Star Forge built, given enough time._' Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto then downloaded the information onto a datapad and deactivated the terminal. He then gave a small chuckle at acquiring the information he wanted and ordered the rest of the troops with him to go and help the others.

As Naruto exited the temple he could hear the sounds of excavating and repair going on. Naruto made his way back to the shuttle and contacted the commander of the troops that came with him.

"Commander, you and your men are to stay here and continue with clearing out the temple. I will send in construction teams to help you start renovating the place and getting it back to optimum levels. Is that understood?" Naruto ordered.

"Yes, Lord Xion." replied the Commander.

After that Naruto shut off the communications and ordered the shuttle to lift off and head back to the fleet. Once there Naruto ordered for several construction teams to be sent down while he called for the Head Engineer.

Both of them were now in the command bridge with Naruto who was explaining to them what they were going to be doing.

The Head Engineer was staring amazed at the hologram of the Star Forge. Even scaled down as it was in the hologram it was still a very large image.

"Whoa, you want me to build this?" the engineer asked incredulously.

"Yes, the blueprints and everything are inside. I imagine that it would be difficult to make such a colossal project-"

"Difficult, do you have any idea how many resources it would take to build that monstrosity! And not to mention the money, where're you gonna get that? Money just doesn't come out of thin air. And last time I checked most of the Kingdom is strapped for cash at the moment." the head engineer interrupted.

Naruto looked at the man annoyed while the Head Engineer looked at him sheepishly when he realized he had interrupted Naruto.

"As I was saying, while I'm sure it would be difficult to build I will pay you for it. You should obviously realize that if you do agree to build this, you could easily be a very rich man when all of this is over, right? And, if want material to built the thing, you can just use the massive amount of debris that's floating around the planet. That's what it's there for after all."

The Head Engineer thought about it for a few seconds and then asked "How much?"

"Well, how much do you want?"

The Head Engineer thought about again for several minutes and then said "600 billion credits, note that not all of it will go to me, some of it will go to my men and other bits will go to pay other expenses needed to construct this Star Forge."

"Very well then, I'll admit that I won't be able to pay you the entire amount right away, but a can pay you a good starting amount. How does 200 million sound?"

"Fair enough." replied the Head Engineer.

"Great, well then it seems like you've got a lot of work to do."

"Indeed." the Head Engineer sighed.

"By the way, there's a certain problem you will encounter when powering the Star Forge. This will be needed inside power core. Don't open it up before it needs to be placed there." Naruto said while giving the Head Engineer a medium sized package.

The Head Engineer looked at the package in confusion for a bit before nodding his head. Hey, he was being paid 600 billion credits for this; he could handle anything weird that might come up.

While the Head Engineer was trying to figure how to start construction, Naruto pulled out his comlink and spoke "HK, I've got some nobles that need to be taken care of."

* * *

**4 months later**:

The city of Srieadia was once a beautiful city. Back when the Sethelonian Kingdom was first set up and Srieadia was built it was made to look rich and lavish. The architecture was grand and elegant and was once made of fine stone and marble. There had also been many plants throughout the city in order to help make it look clean and beautiful.

However, as the years passed and the Royals grew steep in their corruption, they stopped caring for the city and allowed it along with much of the Kingdom to fall into ruin. They sucked Srieadia's wealth dry and made it a ruin of what it once was. Now most of the people there lived in squalor with only the nobles who were on the same planet living in any sort of luxury. The nobles didn't live in the city but 12 miles away from it in a rich and enclosed mini village.

A young woman who was trying to be discrete and walk back to her home as quickly as possible wasn't discrete enough and several guys noticed that she had her hands and part of her arms hidden. They immediately mobbed her and grabbed all the bread she had on her. The woman tried her best to hold on to some of the loaves but the men were merciless when it came to food. They left her with nothing by the end of it. No one tried to stop it as several others were hoping to mob the men and take the bread which they had stolen.

A small boy watched all of this with disgust. He hated what everyone was forced to do in order to survive, but that was how life worked around here. The Kingdom had sucked the place dry and anything that wasn't taken by the Royals was quickly devoured by a populace desperate to survive. In this type of world there was no looking out for anyone but yourself. He had learned that the hard way when his little sister whom he had always taken care of had stabbed him in the back, figuratively of course. In the end he was alone though, his little sister more than likely dead, she might have known how to use someone else's misfortune to their advantage but she most defiantly hadn't known how to continuously gain supplies to keep yourself alive. Basically she couldn't steal worth shit.

The endless suffering of the people of the city and planet Srieadia were just perfect examples of the near collapse that the Sethelonian Kingdom was about to come to. A major reason why the Sethelonian Kingdom hadn't collapsed completely already was because of the Royal Guard which was keeping order in its barest minimum just so it could hold on to the power it possessed and the military which even though was only a shadow of what it was at the height of Sethelonian power was still strong enough to defend its borders and instill at least a semblance of safety in some places.

As the small boy walked through the decaying city he wished that one day someone, or something would come a save them all from this wretched existence that they were forced to endure. Alas, if wishes were horses; beggars would ride as the saying went.

While the small boy sat down and began to contemplate what he was going to do for his next meal, he didn't notice how a large amount of people were running towards the town square. It was only when the smell of food hit his nostrils that he came out of his thoughts and looked in the direction that the smell came from. Curious as to why someone would actually be cooking food in broad daylight in a place like this the boy went towards the smell. He however did so secretly, always keeping to the shadows and trying to remain hidden just in case this was a trap of some sort. This meant that it took him longer to get to the town square, but once he did make it he was greeted to one of the most shocking sights he had ever experienced.

There in the middle of the town square were Sethelonian Troopers and they were cooking and distributing food! The small boy was only able to look on in shock. The military was distributing food to…well everyone. The boy saw dozens of loaves of bread being given away, soups and such being served in bowels, and many meats that were being cooked and served to people.

The soldiers had organized everyone into neat and orderly lines in order to make things easier. They had also warned no roughhousing or trying to cut in line, saying that there was plenty of food for everyone to share. While it was hard for some people, they obeyed if for no other reason than they were being given free food. It also may have had something to do with the fact that the soldiers were still wearing their blasters, but oh well.

As the people ate the boy watched them with jealous eyes. He was still hiding and had yet to decide if this was a trap or not. However the choice was soon taken away from him when a blond haired man with blue eyes, whisker marks, and a scar going down his left eye noticed him and smiled at him. A few of the soldiers saw where the man was looking at and found the little boy hiding behind rubble.

One of the soldiers went to go and get him out. While the soldier was approaching him, the small boy was cursing himself for getting discovered so soon. He had wanted to look around a bit more and determine whether or not these men were to be trusted.

As the soldier got him out and began leading him towards the food line he was stopped by the blond haired man. The soldier then left the both of them and the blond haired man got down to eye level with the boy.

"Well now, I do wonder why someone as young as yourself seems to be all alone. Don't you have any parents?" the blonde man asked.

Normally, the small boy would have just told anyone else who'd ask that that it was none of their business. Yet, something about this man made him want to tell. It went against all of his principles of safety to tell this man anything, yet once he started he couldn't stop. Maybe it was his kind eyes, or that strong but soft look the man had about him, but the boy felt that he could trust this man.

Naruto listened to the boy and his life story. He was somewhat sympathetic to the boy, having experienced very similar hardships at his age, with the only difference being this boy had a family at the time. Once Naruto knew the boy was done he had several soldiers bring a plate filled with food.

When the plate was handed over to the boy he looked at it with wonder. There were plenty of foods he had never seen in his entire life. The most he had ever seen was bread, a few meats, sparse vegetables, and almost no fruits. He didn't even want to think about the dairy products. Yet on the plate there was a big juicy steak, mashed potatoes with cheese and butter, a healthy amount of green beans, and a few exotic looking fruits.

The boy could find no words to describe what was before him. All he could do was look up at the man who had given him this treasure. Naruto looked at the boy and smiled while saying to go ahead and eat.

The boy tore into the food with wild abandon. He didn't really have any sense of manners and only slowed his pace when he felt the blonde haired man looking at him. The boy had decency to blush and began to eat at a slower pace. As he was eating Naruto left and began walking towards a stage that had been set up.

Once he reached the stage he looked around and made sure that everyone had gotten something to eat.

Once he had made sure of that he cleared his throat and spoke in a booming voice "Attention people of Srieadea, I hope you have all enjoyed this little feast I've prepared for you." He received many nods of appreciation, indicating how they felt.

"Any who, the reason I have done all of this is because I can no longer stand by and watch as you suffer in poverty. Tell me, how many of you have been able to eat a full meal like the one I just gave you in the past?" Unsurprisingly, not a single hand went up.

"How many of you have a nice comfy house to live in, beds to sleep in, water to bathe in?" Again, not s single hand went up into the air.

"These are some basic necessities that all of you should have, that you shouldn't need to fight for. But instead you are denied these things, they are striped from you, taken just so that they may appease the greed of those who have forgotten their duties to their people. Those people are you, and those who should be looking out for you are the Royal's! But instead they just steal from you every last bit of wealth and property that you have until nothing is left. And they do this all to feed their endless greed. They care not for the people they are responsible for, they have abandoned you, left you for the dogs!"

By now many people were yelling out their agreements, anger slowly consuming them.

"My name is Xion, and I am the Advisor to the King. However, I have seen how deplorable the King truly is. He and his children are all fat and lazy slobs who seek only to appease their own wants and needs. I may work for the Royals, but I have no love for them. I instead care for you, I care for those of you who are now suffering through no fault of your own. When I look upon this city and her people I see the splendor that has been destroyed. I see lives that are ruined, families ripped apart by circumstance, and it puts me through agony. I love the people of this Kingdom, and I want to see them happy again, I want to see them prosper like never before and become strong so that all may live in peace and harmony!"

The way Naruto was speaking with such sincerity in his voice was causing many people to believe him.

"However, this will never happen as long as the Royals continue to exist. Their taint will continue to corrupt all that is good in this galaxy as long as they live. Every last one of them must die! But first, we must start with their support, we must take that away in order for their fall to become a reality! And let me tell you, their support is naught but 12 miles away from here. The nobles who live in their walled off settlement think themselves better than all of you all due to the fortune of their birth. I say we go to their little village and slaughter them. Make them pay for their own sins, for it is doubtless that they have stolen from you as well. Let us go and teach them a lesson in suffering!"

Now the crowd was opening cheering for Xion while many were grabbing any sort of weapon they could find. At once the march to the nobles walled off village began. Naruto was not too worried about the guards there, for they were minimal at best and were far outnumbered by the angry mob that was about to descend on the village.

Once they arrived it wasn't long before a battle started between the nobles' guards and the people of the city. Naruto had made things easier for the mob by hacking one of the gates and opening it wide, allowing the populace to spill forth into the village. Things quickly took a turn for the worst for the nobles who were now trapped within their homes, merely awaiting their slaughter. Their guards tried their best to defend them but they were either killed or some realized the hopelessness of the situation and tried to flee instead.

It wasn't long until the entire village of nobles was cleansed of her previous inhabitants. Those who were lucky enough to escape the slaughter found themselves being rounded up by the Sethelonian Troops and taken captive.

The entire village was raided for any riches it possessed and its food supplies were taken for all the people to use.

Naruto smiled as he saw these events. Everything was going the exact way he wanted it too, and it was also happening on many planets similar to Srieadia. Food Drives and Recruitment Programs were being set up on many planets that were either under his governorship or were extremely poor. If those organized events just so happened to produce mass riots like this then all the better. It wasn't like he didn't have enemies whom he could shift the blame to if necessary.

* * *

The Great Fire of Srieadia is what the massacre of the Nobility there was called. Naruto had manipulated the information so that the rest of the Nobility and Royals thought it was just a tragic accident that took the lives of valued members of their society.

Naruto scoffed at the title. The event hadn't even happened at the city and yet they were acting as if this was some sort of great loss for the place.

Now with more of the nobility dead, Naruto gained even more power even though he kept up the appearance of giving it away to other people.

Another bit of good news was his relationship with the King. Naruto had been using the Force to make the King dependant on his advice by supplanting his mind and constantly filling it with uncertainty and indecisiveness. He then made them go away only when the King listened to him, thus making it seem as though Naruto was his only source of strength and wisdom. With the King growing more reliant on him, other aspects of the Kingdom were also falling under his control.

However, this hadn't gone unnoticed. By this point people were starting to notice how close he had gotten to the King, and in such a short amount of time too. This was earning him the ire of many of the more powerful nobles while the weaker ones were hoping to get into his good graces. Certain members of the Royal Family was just plain worried about his growing closeness to the king. Those people however were kept in check by Sythan who was starting to become a very useful tool.

Sythan had annihilated the pirates that were plaguing the Sethelonian trade routes like Naruto had wanted. Sythan had received a reputation boost amongst the Nobility and Royals not a part of the plan while Naruto made the pirate defeat public knowledge, but gave credit to the Sethelonian Commander who served directly under Sythan. The Sethelonian Commander worked for Naruto and was constantly reporting to him about Sythan's activities so that Naruto would know if Sythan was suspicious of him or not.

So far, all Sythan seemed to think was that Naruto was useful in allowing his goals to be accomplished.

As for the Nobility, they were being picked off at a slow pace. Naruto would have liked to up the pace a bit but opted instead for waiting for while. So far, the deaths of most of the Nobility was because of the Great Fire. However, an increasing amount of deaths were being caused by HK. While the Nobility had started to notice the increasing amount of deaths among their ranks only a few of them were truly worried about it as the deaths that weren't a part of the fire were caused by tragic accidents that could have been avoided had some common sense been used.

There was no evidence that pointed to assassination, and while some of the more paranoid nobles were trying to secretly investigate the deaths, no one was able to figure out the truth behind them.

The Military and its growing support for Naruto was easily the most important factor in his plans, and he was happy to say that part was proceeding with only minor problems. Much of the Military was now on his side and most of the skeptics had been 'convinced' by Naruto personally to join him. A majority of the military was on his side now and those that weren't would be dealt with when the time was right.

The Royal Guard was another problem that Naruto felt he was handling well. A month or two back he had started replacing the members of the Royal Guard who guarded the palace with Sethelonian Troopers. At first he had done it in areas of the palace that no one was going to bother caring about. Then he had slowly started replacing the Royal Guards in more important areas until before anyone realized it, Sethelonian Troopers had taken on the burden of guarding the palace.

People were of course wondering why Sethelonian Troopers were doing what should have been the Royal Guard's job and Naruto had come up with an excellent way to deal with that problem. Naruto had gone directly to the King and advised him on the usefulness of the Royal Guard, saying that it was too important to be used for merely guarding the palace. The King agreed and upon Naruto's advice began sending them to problem areas that were being handled by Sethelonian Troopers. Or rather, that's what Naruto had the King believing, in reality he was just sending them to their deaths. The coordinates for those problem areas were really just hazardous areas of space like black holes.

For those who were actually sent to problem areas, they were always killed off there by the soldiers or if there was an actual problem then they were killed by it. While this started to decrease the numbers of the Royal Guard, it was happening at a slower pace than Naruto would have liked. However, since this was just to start weakening the Royal Guard he was able to live with it.

The Royal Guard was mad that their members were getting killed off but didn't protest as the King was in agreement with Naruto over sending them out.

While Naruto thought on how to continue with his plans, Thrawn came up behind him and gained his attention with an 'ahem'.

"Yes Thrawn?"

"I've received important info you might want to hear. It looks like the King has had a heart attack." Thrawn replied.

Upon hearing this, Naruto worried about the King's fate. The King was still needed by Naruto as he was protected from most investigation by acting with the King's authority. If the King died then that would put a dent in his plans. It wasn't as if he couldn't just control Sythan like the King, but it would be harder and he already had control of the King so he'd rather the King be alive than dead. After all, Naruto would rather have the decision of when the King died be up to him.

"So, tell me; is he alive?" Naruto asked in a low voice.

"Yes, he is; but I think that heart attack might have done a bit too much still. It seems as if his body is slowly starting to fail based on his medical reports."

"I see, this won't put much of a dent in our plans; I'll be able to keep him alive long enough."

"Well, with that problem out of the way there's another issue to tell you about. The soldiers over at Reaper's End have joined us. The Warden however is a firm supporter of the Royal's however. We'll have to get rid of him if we want to take over the prison. The Warden's Assistant is on our side though, so we'll probably want to have him head the prison when the Warden is dead." Thrawn advised.

Reaper's End was a large space station that served as a prison. It housed only the Sethelonian Kingdom's worst criminals. Beings who were so foul that only the Royal's themselves actual matched them in foulness were held in that place, and the soldiers there often had to use horrid methods in order to keep control of the prisoners. Though in retrospect, most of the men there weren't guilty about using said horrid methods to keep the prisoners in check. These were horrible beings that in their eyes were just having karma come and bite them in the ass.

"I'll take care of the Warden myself. Besides I'm going to visit the prison myself anyways. There's a prisoner that I want out. Tell me, have you ever heard of Koga Kuchiki?" Naruto said.

Thrawn replied "Yes, apparently a few centuries ago he was a Lieutenant who discovered how to use magic or the Force as I would assume it was what he actually discovered."

"Correct, Koga had discovered how to use the Force when he was surrounded by slavers that were going to capture him. Once he discovered the Force he began using it to aid the Sethelonian Kingdom in its defense against the criminal cartel known as the Shadow Syndicate. The Royal Family heard about his powers of course and while some feared that he would take over the Kingdom and return them to the rule of the mages, others like the King knew the truth about his powers and refused to let him learn the truth about his powers."

"So it was decided that they would let Koga take care of the Shadow Syndicate, and once they were eliminated the Royals betrayed Koga. They had him arrested and locked up like a criminal. They silenced anyone who dared speak out against their treatment of him. As for Koga's imprisonment, they had him sealed with frozen carbonite and placed in Reaper's End. He has his own special room that's all just for him. And to this day, all who do hear about Kuchiki Koga generally hear the tale developed by the Royals; which is one that spins him up as an evil villain who was trying to destroy the peace that the Royals were 'trying so hard to keep.'" Naruto finished.

Thrawn was stunned for a few moments after hearing about how Koga was treated. '_He was betrayed, and right after he served them all so faithfully. How did such scum ever become leaders of a nation!'_

Naruto could feel that Thrawn had his sympathy for Koga. It truly was sad that he had suffered the fate that had befallen him. As for how Naruto had discovered about Koga Kuchiki, well it was due to the help of history logs and Flow-Walking. As for Thrawn knowing the bits he knew before Naruto explained everything to him, well he never trusted the Royals after they screwed him over so he did his own investigation about anything the Royals did say and had managed to come out with that tidbit of info.

"Well it looks like Koga has gained your sympathy." Naruto said, startling Thrawn out of his thoughts.

"However, I would advise you to not let your sympathy cloud your judgment of him once you two finally come face to face. Remember, he has had many years to foster his hatred, and with the Force his fury makes him all too dangerous. He'll be a loose cannon, especially when he first wakes from his imprisonment." Naruto warned.

Thrawn nodded his head in understanding, he was no fool.

* * *

A transport ship came out of hyperspace and flew towards the prison station that was Reaper's End. It was an extremely large and terrifying construct, built with the style that only Sith Lords could appreciate. The prison was guarded by five Sith Interdictors which were there to make sure that in the event any prisoner did manage to escape onto a shuttle, that the shuttle did not escape.

Once the transport entered the hanger bay the Warden and several others came out to greet their new guests. The soldiers lined up and stood at attention while the Warden, his assistant, and a few others stood waiting for their guest to come out.

Soon enough the transport doors opened themselves and Naruto walked out followed by Thrawn and Kaemon.

The Warden who was a male Twi'lek spoke "Ah, welcome Advisor Xion. It's a pleasure to receive a member of the Royal Court."

Naruto, smiling, nodded his head and spoke "Oh please, the pleasure is all mine. To be able to come and see this fine example of Royal Order is simply invigorating."

"Ah, too true, to see the enemies of the Royalty punished in such sever manners brings joy to my heart. But tell me, why do you have a boy and an officer from the military here with you?" the Warden asked.

"Well, the boy is learning from me while the officer is hear on an inspection of the facility. You know, just to make sure that those tax credits are being put to good use." Naruto explained.

The Warden nodded his head in understanding "Well, I can assure you that all the money that is used on this prison is used for a very good reason. We do not squander those credits that the Royals have so graciously given us at all. But, you can see for yourself if you are unsure.

Naruto nodded his head in fake appreciation and walked along with the Warden and his small entourage as he gave the tour.

As he was being shown around Naruto looked towards the Warden's assistant who looked back at him and gave him a knowing look. Both of them nodded and Naruto spoke up "Well Warden, I believe its time I make known my real reason for coming here." he interrupted.

At the Warden's confused look, Naruto explained "You see, I am here for the release of a specific prisoner."

"R-Release? A-Are you mad! Do you know what some of these people in here have done? You can't possibly mean to actually free one of these wretched monsters!" the Warden said with shock.

"You're right, I don't intend to release anyone of these criminals. You see the person I'm here to release isn't a criminal at all. In fact, he's quite innocent of any law breaking." At the Warden's skeptical look Naruto came outright and said it.

"I'm here to release Koga Kuchiki."

"W-Who?" the Warden said with shock and a bit of fear.

Naruto gained what could only be described as a terrifying smirk. "Oh, you heard me, I'm here to release Koga Kuchiki. And you will lead me to his prison."

"I-I don't know what you're ta-Oh screw this, tell me what you want with Koga and your sentence might just be les-aaarrrggghhhh!" The Warden at first was afraid after hearing Koga's name but that period of fear only lasted for a little while until he regained his confidence. However, Naruto had at that same moment decided that the Warden had outlived his usefulness which wasn't much to begin with.

The Warden felt a sharp, burning pain erupt from his chest and when he looked down he saw a red beam of light going right into his chest burning a hole into it. The last thing the Warden felt was the sensation of having something being pulled out of himself before he fell to the ground dead.

With him gone his assistant immediately saluted Naruto and responded "I'm afraid I don't know where Koga Kuchiki's cell is. I would assume that only a select few like the Warden were ever informed. However, we should be able to find out Koga's location if we look through the prisons schematics. Access to the schematics should be on the Warden's person."

The assistant's name was Zrthurm and he was a human male with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked to be 34 or close to age. After he was done speaking he then went over to the Warden's body and began searching it for the access codes needed to look at the schematics. Once those were found it wasn't too much trouble for them to find Koga's prison cell which could be more accurately described as a prison ball room. Seriously, the place was friggen huge for imprisoning one guy, even if they did have Force powers.

"Well Zrthurm, or should I say Warden, it's been a pleasure to meet you and I do thank you for your cooperation." Naruto said.

"Please, the pleasure is mine; just make sure you get every last one of those goddamn Royals and we're even." Zrthurm responded.

"But of course." Naruto ended before going off in the direction of Koga's cell taking Thrawn and Kaemon with him along with a group of soldiers.

Zrthurm then turned to several soldiers and spoke out with authority "Alright, listen here all of you! The previous Warden died due to a blaster malfunction. Is that clear?"

After getting a chorus of "Sir, yes sir!" Zrthurm said "Alright, now someone get rid of this body, we don't want word getting out!"

While Zrthurm was giving out orders, Naruto had found and entered Koga's prison. He had troops surround the place where Koga would eventually appear. Koga was located in an underground part of the room.

Naruto went up to the console that controlled the systems keeping Koga locked up and entered in the codes needed to unlock them and begin reversing the process.

In the center of the room the floor opened up and a platform started to rise. This platform had a large shape that was blasted with frozen carbonite. Out of the walls came four blaster looking mechanisms that began to spray the mass with a solution that slowly began to melt the carbonite. As the carbonite melted away it revealed features of the person trapped within. The most noticeable were the giant canisters that Koga's hands were trapped inside. Koga himself was in a bowed position as though he were repentant about something.

Once all the carbonite was gone, Koga remained unresponsive for a few minutes before he gave a deep breath that was made all the deeper with the filter on his mouth. Slowly he began to move, his head rising to look at them all.

As he looked at them, everyone got a good look at his face. It had aged considerably and now looked like it belonged to an old man. And his eyes had become a sulfuric-yellow with red outlining them and blood vessels seen in the sclera. His arms which had no clothing on them were also noticed and they had a ancient look to them. They still had their muscled look, but the skin had gone pale and purplish and it had also tightened up around the arms.

Slowly, Koga tried to move his arms making the canisters they were attached to go up and down as he moved. Then, Koga slowly put his strength into pulling out his arms from the canisters causing the metal to groan in protest. The canisters then began to go up as Koga increased his strength and pulled, his groans of struggle coming out through the filter in a mechanized voice creeping out all the soldiers inside.

As he finally pulled the canisters free from their attachment to the platform their bottom was revealed to be giant balls that were connected electromagnetically to their emplacements. Koga then lifted up one of his arms to the shock of the soldier, most of which were still trying to get over the fact that he lifted the canisters out of their emplacements.

Naruto who was watching all of this with an impassionate eye looked on as Koga used the Force and crushed the canister that was on his right arm. It fell off with a clunk as it hit the floor. Next went the canister on the left arm as it too was crushed. Once his arms were free Koga ripped the filter off of his face and threw it aside.

He then took a deep breath and looked at everyone and gave a small smirk when most of the soldiers raised their blasters at him.

"So, I see that the Royals have finally seen fit to release me. That must be the only reason why I'm out of my little prison. Right?" Koga said.

"The Royals are not to thank for your release, that is entirely my doing. You see, I have heard of your prowess and have decided to have you work for me now." Naruto answered.

"Hah, you think I'll bow down to you? You know nothing of power. My long years of imprisonment may have dulled my body, but that doesn't matter at all. My abilities go far beyond mere physical limitations. I think I'll show you what I mean." Koga smirked and grabbed out with the Force, reeling in two troopers and smashing them together hard.

A crack could be heard as the two men crashed into each other. This was more than enough for the rest of the troops to begin firing at Koga. Naruto did nothing to stop them and Kaemon watched curiously as Koga began slaughtering the Sethelonian Troopers.

Thrawn winced from behind a protected room as he watched through a one way window as one of the soldiers was killed with a brutal slam onto the ground. Naruto had ordered him to stay in their and simply watch the events go on. He didn't know why, but he had to admit he was rather glad he was in here.

Koga was getting tired of simply killing men one at a time so he decided to go and end this. He started gathering a large amount of Force Energy and at the same time created a shield of it to protect himself from the blaster bolts.

Once he was done he unleashed it all in a powerful Force Repulse that disintegrated all of the soldiers in the room, pushed Kaemon far back, and had no effect on Naruto save for making his half-cape flutter. It also caused extensive damage to the room as cracks could be seen all over along with scorch marks, and several of the lights had been destroyed as well.

Koga smirked and said "So now do you fear me, well I wouldn't blame you. But not to worr-HEY ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?"

Indeed, Naruto wasn't paying attention to him at all, instead he was sitting down going over designs for new ships that he found interesting.

When Koga had yelled Naruto's attention was finally gained, although it might have been better if it wasn't "Hm, you say something?" was his reply.

Enraged, Koga immediately attempted to blast Naruto with a Force Push. Naruto countered without much effort using a Force Push of his own. When the two powers met, Naruto's easily overpowered Koga's and continued going straight towards him. Having not expected to have had his attack overpowered Koga had no defense.

He was flung back so far he hit the wall on the other side of the room. With a clang signaling that Koga hit the wall, Naruto got up and began walking towards him at a leisurely pace.

Koga was breathing hard having had the wind knocked out of him with that attack. When he finally recovered enough to stand up he was greeted to the sight of Naruto standing before him. The look Naruto gave him was one of obvious superiority. That made Koga furious; looking somewhat to the side, Koga noticed the canisters that were laying on the ground. Trying to pick them up unnoticed he failed to realize the amused look Naruto was giving him.

When he flung the canisters over, Naruto stopped them before they hit his head and flung them away. Koga then disappeared from his current spot and reappeared right in front of Naruto having used the Force to drastically increase his speed. Koga then launched a punch aimed directly at Naruto's head and right when it was about to connect, Naruto caught the fist with his hand.

Shock entered Koga's face as he had thought that Naruto would have been caught off guard. Naruto then gave his own punch to Koga's face and followed up with a kick that sent Koga several feet in the air. Koga learned one very important thing about Naruto that day, when Naruto hits, he hits hard.

Coming back down due to the laws of gravity or artificial gravity in this case, Koga landed a few feet away from Naruto.

Naruto then picked him up with the Force and began a brutal cycle of slamming him repeatedly into the walls. When Naruto felt that had lost its appeal he decided to end things the only way a Sith Lord can. With extremely powerful and probably unnecessary doses of deadly Force Lightning.

As Koga screamed from having lighting poured into his body, Naruto cut of the stream of lighting soon enough as he was trying to take Koga alive.

Koga was lying on the ground, a bit of smoke coming from his slightly singed flesh.

Naruto crouched down and whispered into his ear "_Well now, I do hope you can see the futility of continued resistance. So, will you join me or not?_"

Koga glared at Naruto but in the end he gave in and said in a quiet voice "_I'll join._"

"Hm, can you repeat that; don't think I heard you?" Naruto said mockingly.

"I said I'll join you!" Koga grimanced as he said the words, hating that he was forced to pledge allegince to someone else again but did it anyways out of self preservation.

"Good, now why don't you stand up. Laying on the ground doesn't look good ya know." said Naruto.

Kaemon was only able to look on in amazement at his master due to how easily he dispatched Koga. He wondered just how powerful he would need to become in order to do what his master had done. He knew he would never become as powerful as his master but that didn't mean that he wouldn't be able to do what Naruto had just done. Granted he would need a lot more experience, but hey; for now he could dream.

"Well my young apprentice, I hope you enjoyed that display of power. Now you've seen a battle between two Force wielders, you know what you will one day have to accomplish." said Naruto.

Kaemon nodded and followed his master out. As Naruto was leaving he reached into a pocket and pulled out a long cylinder object. He then threw it to Koga who was getting up from his abuse.

Koga was a bit surprised by the object but was still able to catch it. He looked at Naruto's retreating back with confusion and heard him say "Consider it a gift for having picked the smart choice and joined the winning team."

Koga looked back at the object and saw two buttons, one close to each edge. Not having much of an option in figuring things out Koga pressed both the buttons and watched amazed a beams of red light came out of both ends revealing the object to be a double-bladed lightsaber.

Koga smirked, he may not like his new master; but at least he gave his servants useful gifts.

* * *

Thrawn anxiously bit into an appetizer as he looked around at the party going on before him inside the Royal Palace. In all reality he_ really_ didn't want to be here. This party was in celebration of Second Prince Benarce's Birthday, a day that should hardly be celebrated in Thrawn's opinion.

He had taken several of his pills in order to help control himself and Thrawn felt that they were the only thing stopping him from going crazy and killing Benarce. '_Calm down Thrawn, you'll get your chance, only a little while longer until they all get what's coming to them._' Thrawn thought to himself.

Naruto looked around with distaste. Everything looked amazing, of that there was no doubt but the fact that every single decoration and spark of celebration was all for a horrid monster. This made everything look wretched and disgusting in his eyes.

Naruto sipped a beverage while he waited for his cohorts to arrive. The party was being used by Naruto as nothing more than a convenient cover up for all of his important military officials to meet together to discuss and finalize plans.

Once all of Naruto's men had arrived, Naruto activated a signal on comlinks that each one of them had been given by him personally. Every official looked at their comlink discretely and began to make their way towards the meeting place. The fact that all the military personal was leaving the party didn't went unnoticed by all save one.

Waylen, Head of the Royal Guard saw all of them leaving at the same time and was curious as to where they were all going. He blended himself into the crowd and followed an official that he was close to. The official tried to make sure that no one followed him but was unable to spot Waylen.

Once everyone had gathered in the meeting place which was just a conference room in the palace that wasn't being used, Naruto began the meeting already aware of his uninvited guest.

"Gentlemen, I believe you all know why we're here; so let's get straight to business. General Skyrec, will we have enough troops ready for both the Free Kingdoms and the Royal Guard HQ?" asked Naruto.

"I admit there have been some difficulties, especially with falsifying the recruitment reports but we will have our troops on schedule, of that you may have no doubt of." responded General Skyrec.

"Good, and what about the increased building of warships. Has anyone noticed?" asked Naruto.

"Not yet my lord, though I don't think we'll be able to keep that a secret for much longer. After, only so much money can be taken from the Royal taxes before even they start to notice." responded Captain Adrel.

Naruto nodded in agreement but said "Well, we won't be worrying about that for much longer if everything goes as planned."

With that he continued to go over plans and ask how operations were doing and assign new ones. Waylen who had been outside the room using a device that picked up sound waves had been listening to the entire conversation. '_Those goddamn bloodsucking traitors! I round up every last one of them, now to go get reinforcements._'

However, right before Waylen could leave he was tapped on the back. Waylen turned around to look at them and was about to chase them away when he saw that they were Sethelonian Commandos. Before he could do anything against them the last thing he ended up seeing was a boot in front of his face before his world turned dark.

"My lord, we've captured the little rat. And it turns out that it's none other than the head of the Royal Guard." one of the commandos replied into a comlink.

"Good work, bring him over to the coordinates that you'll be receiving." Naruto ordered.

"Yes my lord."

* * *

**Endgame:**

Royal Guard member John White stared nervously out at the city where smoke could be seen coming from the fires that had been caused by their artillery bombardment. This city was the capital of the Grinshi Kingdom, a member of the Free Kingdoms. Their invasion had caught the Free Kingdom's by surprise as they hadn't had to deal with outside threats for a thousand years. Most fell quickly enough, but those that stayed proved to be more difficult to take.

The Free Kingdoms were a collection of space-faring kingdoms which had at one time been a part of the Sethelonian Kingdom but had long since freed themselves of their control. The Sethelonian Kingdom controlled the entire southeastern part of the northwestern galaxy and was the largest space-faring civilization in the northwestern galaxy. The territory that the Free Kingdoms encompassed was abysmal when compared to the Sethelonian Kingdom but it was still large enough that it prevented the Kingdom from reaching into the rest of the northwestern galaxy. The Free Kingdoms was pretty much just used as a border for the larger civilizations in the northwestern sector of the galaxy. It surrounded the Sethelonian Kingdom and cut it off from the Turian Hierarchy which controlled the northeastern and the Salarian Union which controlled the southwestern parts of the northwestern galaxy**(2)**.

Naruto wanted the Free Kingdoms conquered and he wanted them conquered fast. A major reason as to why the Free Kingdoms had been able to remain free for so long was because of the fact that every time someone tried to conquer them they always managed to put their differences aside and unite to face a common foe. They fought viciously enough that most enemies felt that it wasn't worth all the effort needed to win such a small amount of territory. This time however, there would be no retreat for the Sethelonians; Naruto needed to get the Free Kingdoms under his control and there was nothing that would stop him.

And now the Free Kingdoms were weaker than ever before. A thousand years of fighting each other hadn't seen wonders for the many Kingdoms there. Most were severely weakened and simply didn't have the resources to combat the far greater and fresher Sethelonain Troops.

Now, back to John White.

As John White continued to look out he thought about the position he and his fellow Royal Gaurdsmen were in. The King's Advisor Xion had sent a great many of their number over to the front lines. Xion had claimed that it was because they were a better quality of troops and that their skills would be vital for victory but John wasn't so sure about that. After all, what was wrong with just having the regular troops come out here to die? Why did they have to be sent out here anyways!

'_Guess there's no use complaining about it now._" John thought miserably to himself.

"Hey, John get ready we're about to charge the city, and all Royal Guard members are going to be attacking the main gate!" one of John's fellow guardsmen said.

"Isn't that where the Grinshi's defense has been impenetrable so far?" John asked panicked.

"Yeah, it is, but orders are orders." replied the guardsmen.

He may have gone insane from the panic, but John was pretty sure that someone in the higher ups was defiantly trying to kill them all.

* * *

Thrace looked around worriedly at the throne room. For sitting on the King's throne was Xion himself. He was going through most of the responsibilities of the King while the actual King was sick. The King's health was failing and while it was kept as quiet as possible to the public, everyone inside the palace knew.

Another thing that worried Thrace was all the regular soldiers that were in the palace now. At first he hadn't noticed it but slowly he began to see amount of regular troops replacing the Royal Guard while they were sent to the front lines. Every day Thrace saw less and less members of the guard within the city and it wasn't a comforting sight. They were supposed to be the ones protecting the Royals while the regular troops went out to fight not the other way around!

Every day he heard about more and more about Guard members being killed. And there wasn't anything he could do as while Xion was killing members of the Guard indirectly he was doing so on the authority of the King. Also, everyone wondered where Waylen had disappeared. No one had seen him after the Benarce's birthday party. Xion had said that Waylen had decided to take a long vacation, and while most people seemed to buy the story, those who didn't had accused Xion of his disappearance as he was the only one with an explanation. Of course without solid proof, most of these accusations were just laughed at by Xion, and personal assurances from Sythan that Xion had nothing to do with Waylen's disappearance shattered most arguments.

The final problem which troubled Thrace was the fact that members of the Royal Family were being sent off to the front lines as well. While they weren't fighting they were still in danger. Xion said that it was to increase the moral of the troops and no one was willing to argue with him.

It made Thrace mad to know this but he kept his mouth shut. He realized that saying anything could get him into a large amount of trouble and he still wanted to be able to protect Bethany. As he was leaving the throne room he saw Bethany who was outside the throne room with a worried look on her face.

"Princess what's wrong?" Thrace asked concerned.

"Oh Thrace, I'm worried about father. I've tried to check up on him but the guards Xion has posted won't let anyone save for the doctors and him in. I've tried asking some of the others around the palace but most of what I'm told is what I've already heard. And all of it sounds horrible. If father really does die then what'll happen to the Kingdom?" Bethany asked worriedly.

Thrace sighed and answered as best as he could "I'm sorry, but if it really does come down to the King dying then it'll be Sythan who takes control. And if that happens, well in all honesty I don't see how things could get worse my lady." Thrace said bluntly.

At Bethany's confused look, Thrace decided to take her somewhere private in order to explain things without getting in trouble.

"Well, my lady; I'm afraid that as offensive as it may seem, the Royal Family hasn't exactly been taking care of the Kingdom. I tru-"

"I know that Thrace, you don't need to coddle me on that fact. Or are you forgetting all the times I've snuck out?" Bethany interrupted causing Thrace to smile sheepishly.

"My apologies my lady. Now, back to how things wouldn't be different, well with your father as the King right now, the people are suffering in poverty. Most of the money is just spent or hoarded up by the Royal Family with just barely enough left to keep the economy running. If Sythan were to take the throne the only real difference would be in where the money was going to be spent. Sythan would want all of it going into the military without beefing up anything else. It may fix a few problems at first but Sythan wouldn't really think about the support that is needed for the army to keep running. It grow bigger and bigger and then collap-actually now that I think about it, we'll be in worse hands if Sythan does takes over." Thrace said somewhat embarrassed, correcting his earlier statement.

Bethany giggled at Thrace who was rubbing his head and smiling sheepishly.

"It's just too bad that you weren't born first Bethany, then you'd be the one inheriting the Kingdom. I know that with you at its head, the Sethelonian Kingdom would prosper like it did back in the elder days." Thrace said.

"Oh, now you're just saying things. I probably wouldn't make much of a good ruler anyhow. After all it isn't as if I actually know how to run the Kingdom. All I'd do is mess everything up." Bethany said sadly.

"That isn't true Bethany!" Thrace disagreed. "You have a genuine desire to help the people of the Kingdom and I feel that if you were to take the throne then you could solve a majority of the problems by yourself. After all, most of the problems you already came up with solutions for whenever I asked you about them." Thrace finished.

Bethany's eyes widened when she heard Thrace disagree with her. She smiled and said "Thank you Thrace. It really does mean a lot to know that you think I'd make a good ruler."

"No problem. I really do feel that you'd make the best ruler. Sadly unless Sythan and Benarce die all of a sudden then I'm afraid we're all doomed." Thrace said bitterly.

Bethany sadly nodded her head in agreement. While she tried to see the best in her family she knew that Benarce was a horrid person and that Sythan, while not nearly as demented as Benarce was just far too militaristic to actually care for the Sethelonian people.

"I guess all we can do is hope for a better future." Bethany said solemnly. Thrace just nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

The King was breathing heavily, his struggle proof of his failing health, not that one could have called it passable in the first place.

Naruto was beside the King watching with fake sympathy as he was dying. Naruto was cutting off any support that he had given the King through the Force thus causing him to die faster. Naruto watched disgusted as sweat and oil dripped down the King's face and his skin turned into a clammy color. His eyes turned bloodshot and his breathing turned into wheezing gasps signifying that his death was coming closer and closer.

"_Xion-pant-. What-pant- what will-pant- happen-pant-once-pant- I am-pant- dead?_" the King rasped out, his delirious mind unable to remember.

"Sythan will take over my King. Remember, he's the first prince." Naruto said.

"_N-no-pant- Sythan-pant-w-will-pant- not take-pant- over. He's not-pant- suited-pant- B-Bethany-pant- she's-pant- better._" The King whispered.

'_So the fatass actually has some common sense. Well, too little too late._' "Of course my King, whatever you desire. But first, I'll need the code to get into the Royal Vaults." said Naruto.

"_Why?_" the King asked.

"Well, surely Bethany doesn't know the codes, and she will need someone to tell you. And sadly enough my King, you won't make it long enough to tell her. So tell me so that Bethany may know of the codes."

"_Yes-pant- of course-pant. The code-pant- is 55-pant-673-425-pant-8921-pant._" the King said.

"Excellent, now I'm afraid that I no longer have any use for you. Goodbye, you worthless pile of flesh." Naruto smirked and began to drain away any remaining life from the King, killing him.

He then looked at his hands which had some oil on them and wiped them off on the King's robes in disgust. Once Naruto walked out of the room he spoke to one of the guards "Remind me, hasn't furnace been low on fuel as of late?"

The soldier nodded his head and Naruto smiled and said "Well then, use him." he pointed towards the King's body.

Both soldiers nodded their heads in agreement and saluted Naruto.

Naruto quickly made his way over to his private office and activated the comlink calling the commander that was on the Terian Front. The Terian Kingdom was the largest and most powerful amongst the Free Kingdoms and it was the one that Sythan himself was assaulting.

"How goes the assault commander?" Naruto asked.

"It has gone well so far but we are having trouble with the capital city my lord. So far their main gate has yet to fall, but it shouldn't be much longer now." the commander replied.

"Excellent. And what about the Royal Guard troops that accompanied Sythan?"

"Mostly dead my lord. They were some of the first into battle and they went into the most difficult of places. By this point, Sythan is surrounded by mostly our troops. Last I heard he only had five of his Royal Guard with him. And that number must have surely been reduced by now."

"Well, it seems everything has gone according to plan. Good work commander." Naruto finished.

Once the comlink was shut off Naruto looked towards the side where he had a very specific button installed. This button when pressed would send a signal to all troops that would tell them to initiate the coup.

As Naruto looked at the button he thought '_Funny, how something so small as a button will change so many lives. It's nothing more than an insignificant piece of plastic and yet it will lead so many others to their deaths. I wonder, does anyone ever think about how such small actions can have such large consequences?_' Remember folks, never underestimate the power of a button.

And with that, Naruto pushed the button sending the signal to all troops and forever changing the face of the galaxy.

* * *

(Queue sad star wars music…or happy depending on your point of view)

In the capital city of the Terian Kingdom it was currently raining as the Sethelonian Army continued to try and penetrate the main gate. The rain did nothing to quench the fires that raged on the battlefield as cannon and blaster fire streaked past each other destroying what they hit.

The Sethelonian advance was being lead by a tank which fired several shots at an the main gate finally bringing it down. Just as the tank did so however a Terian defender fired a missile launcher which hit the tank in a vulnerable spot causing the entire thing to go up in flames.

Sythan who was cutting down several Terian soldiers with his vibroblade noticed the main gate fall. He turned back towards his soldiers and motioned them forward. Charging forward, Sythan grew confused when he heard his troops stop suddenly.

He looked back again and saw that they all had their comlinks out and that there was a red light flashing on them. They all took one last look at their comlinks before looking up at Sythan and pointing their blasters at him.

This caused Sythan's confusion to skyrocket and that quickly turned into disbelief when his own soldiers began firing on him!

Sythan's personal shields defended him at first but the fact that the shots were coming in so close and fast combined with the fact that Sythan was only making a half effort to defend himself as he was still in shock was enough to cause the shields to fail and for Sythan to begin taking in baster shots. His armor helped defend him but again repeated shots broke through and soon enough Sythan was dead.

* * *

A transport that contained several members of the Royal Family was landing in a hanger bay while the control towers guided it.

There were six men in the control tower. Two of them had both received the signal and looked at each other. They nodded and pulled out their blaster pistols firing on the guys nearest to them. Two men went down and before the other two could do anything they were shot as well.

With both traitors in control of the tower they began to send the wrong directions to the transport. It didn't take long for the transport to start flying out of control and crash into the hanger bay destroying in a ball of fire and killing the Royals.

* * *

A Royal Family member was touring the fronts of the war with the Free Kingdoms and was currently heading towards a conquered city on a speeder. He was being escorted by two Sethelonian Troopers that were also on speeders.

Meanwhile back at the main camp the men controlling the artillery cannons pulled out their comlinks to see a red light flashing. Knowing what it meant they contacted the escorts and had them pull back. Afterwards they took aim with their artillery and fired.

The shots hit, blowing apart the speeder and incinerating the Royal.

* * *

In outer space three Sith Interdictors escorted a Royal Barge as it planned its descent onto the planet below.

Within the command ship the captain looked at his comlink which had a flashing red light. Calmly he walked up to the command bridge and ordered the operators to open fire upon the barge.

The laser cannons began blasting apart the defenseless barge and it wasn't long before it succumbed to the three warships' fire power.

* * *

Within the walls of the palace a slaughter took place as Sethelonian Troopers now turned on the Royals and their allies. Soldiers were killing anyone who was a noble, Royal Guard, or Royal Family. The screams of the Royals could be heard throughout the palace as they begged for their lives or ran away screaming in terror.

Koga sighed blissfully as he swung his lightsaber through two Royal Guards. He may not have been a master when it came to using the lightsaber, especially a double-bladed one, but he knew enough to not let it touch him and that it would cut through most anything it encountered. The Royal Guard's lances and armor were no match for the power of a lightsaber. Continuing with his slaughter, Koga took particular glee when his victims were able to recognize him for who he really was. He enjoyed their horrified faces and put them to memory right before he sliced their heads off.

"**Statement**: Oh how I enjoy this. I'll have to remember to send master a gift basket if I get the chance." HK-47 said joyfully.

He then fired his shotgun into a group of Royal Guards who were prepared to attack. Afterwards he blasted apart the members of the Royal Family.

"**Exclamation:** Yes! Die meatbags, die; so that I may gain some entertainment in my often dreary life. Oh, how I wish every day could be like this." HK-47 said, his sociopathic tendencies running amok.

HK then took out a vibroblade and stabbed a fool who had hoped to get past his guard in a bid for freedom. Afterwards HK continued on his trek of death, killing anyone that got in his path except for the men in the sliver armor who Naruto had told him explicitly that he was not to kill much to HK's disappointment.

* * *

***Warning: Rape Scene***

Benarce stared hungrily at the woman in front of him. She was quite beautiful with a nice hourglass figure, a sizable bust, and a pretty heart shaped face with green eyes, and two tails coming out of her head signifying she was a Twi'lek. She wore a very minimal amount of clothing and she had nothing covering up her sex. The girl tried her best to get away but the fact that she was trapped in Benarce's room pretty much made the attempt useless.

Benarce grabbed her and forcefully shoved his disgusting cock down her throat. He then began to pump it at an extremely uncorfortable pace causing the girl to choke and gag on his dick. Tears built up in her eyes as she struggled against her captor in vain. Benarce wasn't exactly strong but his massive girth gave him an advantage over his victim who struggled to hurt him in some way.

The Twi'lek girl then bit down hard on his dick causing Benarce to scream with pain and slap her. Once he pulled out of her mouth he stared furiously at her and grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall jarring her.

He then spread her legs apart and forced himself into her pussy. Benarce screamed with pleasure while the girl screamed with pain from having her virgin pussy rammed into and broken apart by that monster.

Benarce enjoyed his victims screams and tried to find more painful ways of raping her in the hopes of hearing her tormented cries grow louder. Benarce loved the feeling of having his victims in pain as it gave him a sense of power over them and everything else.

As Benarce continued to fuck her one of his friends who was also in the room raping a girl looked over at Benarce and said "Man, your sure are a sadist. Don't know why you like hearing them screaming. It's so annoying. Way easier when they just accept it."

"Its-pant- not about-pant- just the sex. Its-pant- about making-pant- it-pant- known-pant- that you're-pant- superior!" Benarce said in between breaths as he continued ravaging the Twi'lek.

The poor girl screamed in pain as Benarce continued thrusting into her pussy and she grew terrified when she heard him say he was cumming. She tried to get him to pull out but Benarce wasn't having any of it. He held her legs tight and made a final push deep inside her before cumming. The Twi'lek cried as she felt his vile liquid go inside her but was unable to do anything else.

"Ahhhhhh" Benarce sighed with pleasure as he ejaculated into the girl. Once he stopped he pushed her off of him and decided to go to another one of his 'wives'.

He looked around and eventually found one of his favorites. Thrawn's sister was before him draped in a sexy garment. She looked for all the world like one of those fancy escort girls that could be hired with what she was wearing (I have no idea what they wear, so don't bother asking!).

***End Rape Scene***

Right as he was about to go for her however banging noises were heard from the door. Both Benarce and his friend looked at each other confused only to become afraid when the door was busted down revealing Sethelonian Troopers who barged in. Benarce's friend was shot immediately while Benarce himself was subjugated to a beating.

"Alright, don't hurt him too bad. Xion wants him alive. He's gonna be Thrawn's play with." The Sethelonian Commando said.

Both soldiers holding Benarce down gained huge smirks at hearing that.

"Wha, what are you doing to me? You can't do this! Do you know who I am. I am the sceo-omph!" Benarce tried to say only to receive the end of a rifle to his head as a reward.

"Fucking shut up you monster. We're taking orders from you or the rest of your inbreed freaks that you call a family."

With that the two soldiers that held Benarce roughly brought him up to his feet and began 'escorting' him over to the 'Correctional Facility' or just torture room.

The commando then looked all over the room and activated his comlink "Hey, send a med group over here stat. Looks like they could really use it."

The commando then left Benarce's room and caught up with a terrified Benarce.

"Ar-are you going to k-kill me?" Benarce asked scared when he saw the slaughter going on inside the palace.

"Oh trust me, when I say that when everything is said and done you will be wishing you were dead." The commando just smiled evilly after that.

* * *

Kaemon, dressed up in a dark cloak calmly walked up the stairs leading to the entrance of the Royal Guard Headquarters. He was small and looked smaller still when compared to those following him. For behind him were 50,000 Sethelonian Troopers all marching up towards the building.

Kaemon could still remember his master's words when he sent him off for his first true test.

"_Go forth my apprentice, show no mercy. Kill all your emotions. Harness the Darkside of the Force, and master it. Don't let its hatred overcome you. Now, harden your resolve and prove to me that you are worthy of being my apprentice!_"

He would kill his emotions, harden his resolve, and show his master that he was worthy!

Now, one might wonder why an entire army was following the lead of a five year old boy. Well that can easily be explained by the fact that the first soldier to question Kaemon was rewarded with getting Force Choked to death. After that, no one dared question him again.

Kaemon immersed himself in the Force and felt its power flow through him, calming him, strengthening him, and energizing him. It wasn't much longer before Kaemon and the first troops entered the building. The confused looks on the Royal Guards changed to ones of horror when Kaemon brought out his lightsaber and lead the charge into battle.

Guardsmen dropped like anvils when Kaemon cut into them. His superior weapon more than made up for his lack of experience. The Guards had no real defenses save for their shields which were bypassed by Kaemon due to his smaller stature. Most were killed before they could do anything, and those who were concentrated on the boy, forgot about the soldiers pouring in and were killed by them.

It wasn't long before the entrance was taken. With it gone, and no alarms having gone off yet, the assault was going well enough. Kaemon then proceeded to enter the ventilation system and make his way towards the control room. The reason why Kaemon was using the vents to get to the control room was because the Royal Guard Headquarters had numerous defenses on the inside with the entrance being the only place without. That's why Kaemon used the vents to head to the control room. Once he reached there he would be able to disable the defenses using the access codes given by Waylen during his interr-I mean torture.

Once Kaemon reached the vent that was in the control room he took the time to look inside and see if enemies were there. There were three guys inside and all of them much to Kaemon's anger weren't even paying attention to the monitors.

'_Those men are drunk! What the hell? Granted, this makes my job easier but still. They don't even have enough responsibility to take care of the lives entrusted into their hands. Well, I'll be ending them soon enough._' Kaemon thought.

With that, he kicked open the vent and jumped down surprising the men. He Force Pushed two of them into the walls knocking them out and then he Force Pushed the third guy who had yet to realize what had happened due to his drunken stupor.

Afterwards he brought out is lightsaber and slit all of their throats, ending their lives.

Once that was done Kaemon turned towards the controls and entered in the codes shutting down all Headquarter defenses. He then looked towards the monitors which showed Sethelonian Troopers now moving through the Headquarters near unopposed. Most of the Royal Guard was asleep as it was nighttime and without the defenses there to hound them the soldiers poured into the building at an overwhelming pace.

The killing soon commenced as soldiers got deeper into the Headquarters. Troopers barged into bedrooms and fired on helpless Royal Guardsmen or they caught them while they were hopelessly ill prepared for battle. As the sound of fighting began to ring all throughout the place the Royal Guard finally realized it was under attack, and began to fight back.

'_It's hopeless, there's just too many of them!_' was the thought of Royal Guard member Varison Clath. Varison had brown hair that went down to his neck, forest green eyes, and an angular face. Dressed up in his armor and wielding his energy shield and blaster lance, Varison was one of the few who was able to fight when they encountered the Sethelonian Troopers.

Now he was fighting a desperate battle, not to win but to escape. Varison had already come to the realization that the Headquarters was lost and was now trying to get out. He knew that from his current position which was the communications room he wasn't too far from the hanger bay.

Varison made his way out into the hallways and began heading towards the hanger bay. He could hear the sounds of fighting going on throughout the building. This place had been his home for as long as he could remember. He had been taken from his parents as a baby and was raised to be loyal to only the Royal Family. This was common with all members of the Royal Guard that weren't nobility. They were often taken from their parents as babies, a practice which was started a thousand years ago by Queen Mariet the Mad and was continued by her successor Endrin the Cruel.

As Varison continued heading towards the hanger he heard the approach of several Troopers.

He hid behind one of the pillars that permeated the hallways and waited for them to pass by. As they were passing Varison hear one of them speaking "Hanger bay has been taken commander. Yes, the explosives have been set. They'll go off in five minutes. Understood sir."

"So, what're our orders sir?" asked one of the Troopers.

"We're to keep guard and ensure that no one gets to the hanger bay before the explosives go off." replied the leader.

"Easy enough." Or rather it would have been had Varison not decided to attack at that moment. The Sethelonian Troopers were caught completely unprepared when Varison unleashed a deadly burst from his blaster lance. Two of them were immediately killed while a third was injured. The other two were lucky enough to escape without injury.

"Wha-what the hell! K-Kill him damnit!" screamed out the injured leader. The other two soldiers began blasting away at Varison trying to kill him however their shots couldn't get through his shield. Varison then charged right at the two forcing them to move out of the way. One of them however tripped while doing so and fell down. Varison took that opportunity and fired on him. Afterwards he quickly brought his shield up in defense while the other trooper fired on him. Varison then entered close combat with the remaining trooper which proved to be a cake walk for him as the trooper had no close combat weapons.

Before he could relax however, Varison was attacked from behind by the injured trooper with a vibroblade. Varison's armor protected him from most of the attack but he still got a nasty jarring from it. Varison turned around and was assaulted with a swing to the head which managed to nick the helmet. Varison responded with a jab from his lance which was avoided and countered with a direct slash to the chest. Varison blocked that with his shield and then grabbed that arm which held the vibroblade and twisted it causing the trooper to cry out in pain while dropping his weapon. Then Varison took his lance and stabbed it into the trooper causing blood to spray out onto the both of them.

With a twist and added spray of blood the lance came out and the trooper fell dead.

Varison then made a mad dash towards the hanger bay, completely disregarding any forms of stealth. It was to his luck that he did not encounter any Sethelonian Troopers on his way there. Once he reached the hanger bay he thought about trying to disable the explosives and save the place.

'_Ah screw it, I ain't no demolitions expert. Not like it'd actually help much anyhow._' Varison thought.

He entered into one of the starfighters and took off. As he was leaving the Headquarters he could see that fires had erupted all over the place from the attack. The hanger bay itself soon exploded after he left destroying everything in there and crushing any hope for others to escape.

As he flew away, Varison remembered about Thrace and Bethany. Being one of Thrace's closest friends he knew that the two of them were on the outskirts of the city visiting one of Bethany's aunts who lived outside of the palace.

Varison then decided to turn the ship and warn Thrace and Bethany.

* * *

Kaemon entered the cadets quarters and began his search for them. He had been ordered by Xion to kill every cadet over the age of 3. Anyone under this age could be spared if he wished. Soon, Kaemon opened the door which lead into the training halls.

His way however was blocked by a twelve year old boy who looked down at him and said in a voice filled with false bravado "Good, you're here. I assume that means that whatever trouble that's been going on is over. Now, go fetch us some refreshments servant, everyone in here is annoyed with this fiasco and we can all use something to calm us down."

Kaemon was able to other kids behind the twelve year old and decided to begin the slaughter here.

Igniting his golden colored lightsaber, Kaemon looked directly at the boy who blocked his path. The twelve year old shivered in fright at the cold look in Kaemon's eyes. No emotions whatsoever could be found by him. It was just unnatural. Good thing for him he didn't have to think about it for too long as being headless takes all earthly concerns away.

When the boy's boy fell to the ground lifeless and headless the other kids in the room all had differing reactions. Most did the obvious and screamed out in terror while others were put into a state of shock, and a few others immediately went into hiding, with the smallest amount being the ones who decided to try and fight Kaemon.

Of course in the end it was all futile. Kaemon killed them all anyways and there wasn't a single thing they could do about it. Running, hiding, fighting back, none of it helped. All of them died by Kaemon's hand.

As two kids ran from Kaemon, he followed them at a leisurely pace, seeing no reason to hurry. They were dead no matter what they did. As the two kids continued to run they ran right into to Sethelonian Troopers. The troopers were confused as to what kids were doing here and simply watched as they continued running away. When they saw Kaemon walking up to them with his lightsaber on they immediately saluted fearful of what could happen.

"I see you let them get away." Kaemon commented.

"You mean the kids sir?" one of the troopers asked.

Kaemon nodded his head and said "Yes, now go after them and kill them."

Both troopers were shocked. They could kill any one of the Royal Guard members with no question on their conscience no matter what situation their victim was in. Killing children however was another matter altogether.

"B-But sir! They're just kids! What's point in that?" the other trooper asked, shocked.

"Wrong, those are things who have been infected with the ideals of the old order. And it is your duty to eliminate them before they gain the potential to infect others with their beliefs. Or would you like to be the ones to explain to our new emperor about how you let dangerous individuals escape when they were right under your nose?" Kaemon reprimanded.

"U-Uh, s-sir no sir! Well get them immediately, come on!" one of the troopers replied scared and beckoned to his companion to follow. It wasn't long till Kaemon heard the satisfying sound of blaster bolts hitting their mark.

Kaemon let out a small smirk and walked away from the cadet quarters.

He ended up walking towards the balcony that overlooked the main hall of the Headquarters. As Kaemon looked down he could see a huge battle going on between the Sethelonian Troopers and the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard was apparently making its final stand out in the main hall as most of the Headquarters had already been purged with what communications Kaemon had received.

As he looked over at the battle, Kaemon showed no emotion on his face as he watched his men slaughter the Royal Guard. They put up a valiant fight, but the numbers overwhelmed them and one by one they fell.

* * *

Bethany stared horrified at the burning Royal Guard HQ even as it continued to grow smaller with her ascension. She, Thrace and Varison had fled the planet onboard Varison's own transport ship as soon as Varison had told them of the situation. Although they hadn't known how bad it was until Varison had gotten to them they did know something was wrong as they were able to see the burning HQ off in the distance.

The aunt that Bethany was visiting had decided to stay behind and hopefully try to ensure that they wouldn't be followed.

As they entered orbit they now only had to get past the fleet which protected Coranda.

"Alright people, hold on to your butts and hope we get through this because if that fleet figures out who we are you bet your ass they'll wipe us off the face of the galaxy." Varison said as he piloted the ship.

Varison piloted a Bartel-class 48-c shuttle which was reminiscent of a manta-ray. It was 60 meters in length and had a 2.0 class hyperdrive. It was also a very reliable ship in terms of maneuvering and speed. On the inside it came with many comforts such as good furniture and entertainment along with good restrooms. It was a ship that only people on the higher end of society could afford.

As it moved past the fleet several men who were in the flagship looked out at it.

"Wow, now there's a ship; man what I wouldn't give to own one of those!" the officer spoke to his fellows who nodded in agreement.

"What's going on here, why aren't you at your stations?" the fleet commander said up from behind them scaring them into attention.

"Uh, sorry sir; but there hasn't been much activity as of late. We haven't had anything interesting to do for a while sir." one of the officers replied.

"So, you think that gives you the reason to slack off on your duties without any sort of permission? Well, WRONG!" the fleet commander yelled.

"You guys are so getting cour-wait a minute, I think I've seen that ship before. The fleet commander then took out a list composed of all the ships that Xion didn't want getting past the fleet. He began looking through it and eventually found the same exact ship on the list.

"YOU BLOODLY MORONS, YOU LET ONE OF THE ROYAL GUARD'S SHIPS PASS THROUGH! THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A ROYAL FAMILY MEMBER ON BOARD!" the fleet commander yelled furiously at the officers.

The fleet commander then turned around and began issuing orders to the rest of the bridge crew.

"Don't let that ship escape! Shoot it down now! Alert the rest of the fleet! Scramble the starfighters goddamn it!" he said.

Meanwhile back with Varison and friends, Varison was starting to slowly relax as nothing had come after them yet. Thrace was watching the monitors to make sure that they weren't surprised by anything the fleet might do.

"So, any idea where we're going to go Varison?" Thrace asked.

"Yeah, there's an outpost on the edge of Sethelonian Territory that's run by a good friend of mine within the military. He's loyal to the family so we should be safe with him, and with its minor status I'm pretty sure that whoever started this coup would have over looked this place. First of all, let's just concentrate on getting past the fleet and out of range of the planet." Varison replied.

Thrace nodded and went back to monitoring for enemies and it wasn't a moment too soon as the monitors picked up starfighters coming in from behind them.

"Varison, we've got starfighters coming in from behind us!" Thrace warned him.

"Aw damn it. And this ship doesn't have any weapons too! Shit!" Varison then picked up a speaker and said "Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking, just want to let you know that we are about to enter into some extreme flight maneuvers, so please fasten your seat belts and hold on tight. And thank you for choosing Varison Airlines, we enjoy your patronage."

Bethany had gotten the message and strapped herself in.

And not a moment too soon as laser bolts soon began rocketing the ship.

"Thrace, how are the shields holding up?" Varison asked.

"They're doing good for now. You might not have any weapons but you've got quality shields. It'll take more than starfighters to bring us down." Thrace replied.

And that's when Murphy's Law came into effect in form of three massive warships known as Sith Interdictors which had started firing at them; one of the shots actually hitting causing massive damage to the shields.

The entire ship shook violently from a direct hit by one of the laser cannons of the Interdictors. It was a good thing for them that it hadn't been a turbolaser battery that had hit as that may have even destroyed the ship entirely.

"Shit! What's the damage Thrace?" Varison yelled out.

"One of our engines is gone. The shields are only at 50% of power, and it's possible that the generator may have sustained minimal damage as well." Thrace responded worriedly.

"Damn it!" Varison cursed.

At 50%, the shields were now susceptible to damage from the starfighters; and even with all the evasive maneuvers that he was employing the amount of fighters only continued to increase. And, their fire was becoming more and more accurate. And just when Varison thought that his problems couldn't get any worse, two more Sith Interdictors showed up in front of him and began firing.

"SON OF A BI-wait a minute, this could work." Varison cursed out before gaining a new idea.

"Wait, what could, what are you doing. Why are we slowing down. And getting closer to the warships. AND NOT TURNING THE OTHER WAY!" Thrace yelled out the last part.

"You'll see." Varison said with a smirk as he increased his speed while carefully aiming down towards the open space that was where ideally a hull should have been on the Interdictors right as they passed by each other.

In the future, Thrace would always come to wonder how they had survived this ordeal. In the end, he just summed it up to the divine providence of luck.

Varison made it through both Interdictors at the perfect moment and immediately went full throttle on the engines getting the ship fly as fast as it could before jumping into hyperspace and escaping the grasp of Xion's men.

"FUCK!" the fleet commander yelled as they got away. He was so getting fired for this, if he was lucky.

* * *

A huge crowd had gathered in front of the palace by order of the king. The crowd was composed of the people who lived on Coranda and a few of Naruto's men hidden amongst them. Most of the people there were extremely confused. All of them had seen the burning Royal Guard HQ and while most were quite happy to see the place burn they were all wondering why it had happened. They knew it was no accident as there had been eyewitness reports of troops entering the building getting rid of any such notion.

The gathering was being broadcast all over the Sethelonian Kingdom, hence the presence of all the hovercams.

Soon enough people were able to see figures walking towards the balcony. When they finally were able to get a good look at them, everyone recognized the figure on the left to be Thrawn, but the figure who was in the center, they had no clue as to who he was, but they were intimidated by his outfit which consisted of dark robes with armor over it and a mask covering the figure's face.

It was only when he spoke that everyone recognized him to be Xion, the Royal Advisor.

"Attention good people of the Sethelonian Kingdom. I am sure that you are all curious about the events that happened last night. Well let me be the first one to say it. The Royal Family and it's tyrannical rule has ended! They and their allies are dead. What you witnessed last night was a cleansing of the Kingdom from those wretched monsters. "

This news was greeted with a shocked silence at first. Not a single person in the crowd, or indeed all throughout the Sethelonian Kingdom was able to say a word. And what could they say? They had been under the tyrannical rule of the Royal Family for so long that they never dreamed that a day would come when they would be free of them.

It was then that Xion's men who were planted within the crowd began to act. They began cheering and clapping, voicing out their happiness at being freed and gradually it spread out to everyone else until the entire crowd was cheering. With the crowd's cheering being broadcast throughout the Sethelonian Kingdom it wasn't long before the entirety of the Kingdom was happy cheering at the news.

Xion, who once more donned the robed of Darth Revan smiled underneath his mask and spoke again "First of all, I would like to commend the heroic actions of our proud and powerful military, for without their brave and noble actions this would not have been possible. Second, it has come to my attention that the Sethelonian Kingdom has been failing."

This was a fact that everyone knew, but it raised curiosity as to why Xion brought it up.

"As of now, in order for the people to once again prosper and live in security, I have decided to reform the Sethelonian Kingdom into the Sith Empire!"

This news was met with a mixture of emotions, shock and fear being the most predominant. Most people felt that with Xion announcing the reformation that he was going to seize power and that they would all now just be under the rule of a new dictator. They were completely right, but Xion's actions in trying to help the populace of the Sethelonian Kingdom like organizing Food Drives, increasing the recruitment of troops thus supplying more jobs, and public denouncing of the Royalty had earned him the favor of many people; which was why they weren't all in a mass panic right now.

Thrawn took this as his queue to speak and stepped forward yelling out "All hail Xion, Emperor of our new Sith Empire!"

And just like that Xion's men within the crowd also began cheering, crying out "All hail Xion!" gradually inflicting a mob mentality upon the crowd as they too began to cheer.

"ALL HAIL XION, ALL HAIL XION, ALL HAIL XION!" was the enormous roar of the crowd. Xion smiled triumphantly beneath his mask as he relished in the control that he now had.

* * *

A Centurion-class battlecruiser along with its escort of two Sith Interdictors could be seen in space. Onboard the command bridge Xion stood, dressed up in the robes of Darth Revan he truly looked like a Dark Lord of the Sith, and it also made sure no one questioned his orders as it did a very good job of intimidating others.

Soon enough, Xion's apprentice Kaemon or Darth Catherous as he could now be called stood beside him and looked out towards the object which held his master's attention.

Out in front of them was the massive piping of the Star Forge which had been completed. Now other parts of the Star Forge were now being built like the metal plating and such. And with the hundreds of ships which now crowded around the Star Forge aiding in its construction, progress could be easily seen.

Xion crossed his arms in satisfaction as the master and apprentice looked out at the strategic weapon of war being built.

* * *

Yes, I am finally done with this chapter! Yay! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter done, but I wanted to finish the coup arch in one chapter and my own stubbornness wouldn't let me do otherwise. That and other story ideas have also been plaguing my mind. But for now I am quite happy to give you all this fourth chapter of The Clone Wars-3 Sides. And yes, I totally stole parts from Revenge of the Sith! So don't tell me about that.

(1): Remember, Naruto and Xion are the same person.

(2): If you get too confused then just try looking at the galaxy map link on my profile, and bring a compass with you as well. That or just don't think about it.

Have a great summer!

And Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

* * *

Benarce cried out in pain as he felt the vibroblade go into his flesh. He already had several other cuts and bruises along with a few broken bones and some internal bleeding. Blood was coming out of his mouth and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

"P-Please! H-Have mercy!" Benarce begged of Thrawn who grew a look of outrage at the plea.

"_Mercy? _MERCY! DID YOU HAVE ANY MERCY? DID YOU SHOW AN OUNCE OF COMPASSION FOR THOSE WHO'S LIVE YOU RUINED? DID YOU SHOW ANY OF THOSE WOMEN ANY OF YOUR MERCY WHEN THEY BEGGED NOT TO BE VILOTATED? YOU DON'T DESERVE MERCY AND EVERYONE YOU SCREWED OVER CERTIANLY DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE DESTROYED BY A MONSTER LIKE YOU!" Thrawn yelled at Benarce while repeatedly stabbing him in non-vital areas so he wouldn't die.

"AGGGGHHHHHHH!" was Benarce's scream of pain as Thrawn inflicted more wounds onto him.

Thrawn got tired of just stabbing Benarce eventually and had him strung up onto a table where his arms and legs were put in cylinders that would send an electric shock through his body. These electrical shocks were special in that they targeted the neurons of the body. Neurons transmitted messages like feelings of pleasure, moving a limb, or thinking a certain thought. The electrical would tell the neurons to transmit feelings of pain to whatever level it was set too. Since it targeted the neurons it didn't have to be a powerful shock thus meaning that it could give maximum pain without the lethality. Excellent for interrogation purposes or when you just didn't want someone to die just yet. The device itself was known as the NTD(Neuron Transmitter Destroyer).

And right now, Benarce was feeling pain beyond anything he could even begin to comprehend; although realistically, this wasn't saying much as Benarce had never really felt much pain before and he couldn't comprehend much anyways.

Thrawn sighed in bliss as he listened to Benarce's screams. '_Music to my ears._' was his thought.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Benarce screamed out as Thrawn continued to increase the pain levels.

"That's right you son of a bitch! Feel pain, the same pain that you've inflicted on others for countless years!" Thrawn said viciously while Benarce screamed himself hoarse.

Slowly, Thrawn turned up the intensity of the NTD increasing Benarce's pain. For Benarce, it felt as though he were being electrocuted with volts of up to 100,000. Pain seared across his body, his insides felt as if they were on fire, and while Benarce waited for the sweet embrace of unconsciousness, it never came, as Thrawn had pumped Benarce full of drugs to keep him from losing consciousness.

Once Thrawn had gotten bored of even the NTD torture, he decided that it was time for the final act. He had a crane pick up Benarce and move him towards a tall vat that was filled with a greenish looking acid.

"Tell me Benarce, do you know what this is?" Thrawn asked.

When Benarce shook his head in a negative response Thrawn laughed "Well of course you wouldn't know, but I suppose I am being a bit unfair. Not many other people would know either. This dangerous looking liquid here is the digestive juices of a Sarlacc. Now, you must be wondering what the hell is a Sarlacc. Well stop, it's not important. Just know that under normal circumstances, the digestive juices of a Sarlacc take over a thousand years to fully digest anything larger than a dog, and you're quite bigger than a dog. However that's just too long for me. After all, you and I will have died of old age long before your fully digested. Not to worry though. I've come up with a solution. By adding various chemicals and enzymes to the digestive juices I have significantly sped up the digestive process. Now instead of taking a thousand years, it takes more like 8 hours." Thrawn finished with a cruel smirk.

Benarce's eyes widened with dismay. Even he was smart enough to realize that this was his death warrant. It would be a slow and painful death, the kind that would eat away at your mentality and leave you a broken husk; like he had done to so many others.

"P-Please no-" Benarce tried to beg like many of his own victims had, but just as Benarce had shown no mercy; he was to now receive none.

Thrawn had already pushed the button releasing the crane's grip on Benarce and dropping him into the Salracc's digestive juices.

Once Benarce landed he screamed in pain as the acid began its work at once.

Meanwhile Thrawn upon seeing Benarce receive his final punishment began laughing loudly, an insane look in his eyes.

"Mother, Father; I know that you'd both disapprove of what I'm doing, but I simply can bring myself to care. He destroyed you both, and turned my sister into one of his whores! I'll make him suffer for every life that he's ever taken and destroyed. I hope you're both watching, this is for you! He he he he, ha haha ha ahahah HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Thrawn finished with a madding laughter.

As for Benarce, his torture started with the flesh from his skin being eaten away. It felt like a million bee stings coming in a continuous burst. The fire of pain was burning every inch of him along with the acid. After the first hour there was no skin left on Benarce.

As the second hour began, Benarce had all of his muscle and flesh dissolving into the acid. His pain was only intensified as he slowly felt his sanity beginning to slip. As his last thoughts floated through his mind, Benarce wasn't feeling any regret at all. He held no remorse inside of him for the lives he took, or the people he destroyed. His final thought was only on how if he had known this is what Thrawn would do to him then he would have simply inflicted even greater tortures upon his sister.

As the third hour went by his outer muscles had made way for all of his vital organs, leaving them to be destroyed. And by the fourth hour, Benarce was well and truly dead, nothing more than a mass of flesh that was continually being dissolved.

"Hm, looks like they were wrong, it only took about five hours." Thrawn said as he looked at the near dissolved remnants of Benarce.

* * *

Naruto contemplated the current situation that was before him. On one hand, he was the only person left in the government which meant that he had absolute power at the moment. On the other hand, HE WAS THE ONLY GOD DAMN ONE LEFT IN THE BLOODY GOVERNMENT! Everyone else had been nobility or royalty so of course now they were all dead. He was only one man, he needed other people to help him run things. For now, the military commanders had taken control of the governments of planets but that was only a very temporary fix to the problem. Military commanders generally didn't know how to run a town. they didn't care much for balancing the budgets, or managing construction projects, or going over tax reports. Usually only the higher ranking military officials handled those sort of problems and there were only so many of them currently.

Well, it wasn't all bad. Good news was that when the raid on the royal vaults was preformed the sheer amount of resources found was simply incomprehensible. Over 49,000,000,000,000,000,000 credits**(1)** along with numerous precious metal collections were found inside the vault. Along with it was the original version of Commander Sethelonus' logs detailing his flight from Republic space and the journey into the Unknown Regions where he proceeded to establish the Sethelonian Kingdom.

An interesting tidbit of information that Naruto had found out was that Sethelonus had enacted a purge of his own. Any of the Sith that had gone with him into the Unknown Regions were killed off by Sethelonus and his most loyal soldiers. Sethelonus blamed the Sith for their constant defeats in their war against the Republic. After his purge of the Sith Sethelonus had all history of the Republic destroyed and ordered everyone that came with him to begin teaching a false history on the origins of the Sethelonian Kingdom.

Also, the question as to how many of the planets that were under Sethelonian control had the same name as the planets Revan mapped out was answered when Naruto found one of Revan's old maps inside the vault. The map had some damage to it, hence the reason why the places where the hyperspace disturbance line could be crossed weren't mapped out on it.

With the Royal vaults being cleared out, many of the soldiers saw just how much the Royals had stolen from them and the rest of the Sethelonian people. This only seemed to further cement their hatred of the Royalty.

As Naruto continued to consider what his next moves were Thrawn came up behind Naruto and waited till he would acknowledge him.

"Yes, go on. Speak." Naruto said a bit distracted.

"Well, Xion-" "Naruto." "What?" "Call me Naruto when we're in private. You've more than earned the right, and it feels comforting to hear my real name every once in a while."

"Yes, well Naruto I just wanted to say thanks. You've made it possible for me to get my revenge, so now I'll do my part to repay you. I'll stand by you no matter what, whether we win or lose. Just want you to know that sir." Thrawn finished with a salute.

Naruto smiled and said "Well, thanks. It's nice to know that I have people that I can trust by back to."

Naruto knew that what Thrawn was saying came from his heart. He really did mean it, and I didn't take the Force for Naruto to realize that. This was an invaluable thing to have. Naruto knew that he would need men that would stand by him no matter what, and Thrawn it looked like was the first step.

The wreck of a city that was the capital of the old Sethelonian Kingdom was getting a complete overhaul. Once the Royal Vaults were raided, Xion had begun spending immense amounts of money throughout the Kingdom in an effort to get the economy started back up . The capital was one of the first places he had started with hiring hundreds of thousands of workers to help rebuild it. Now people who had been struggling to find a decent source of income were finally able to start working again, and that was most of the population.

The Royal Palace had been one of the first buildings to go. The military under Xion's order had surrounded the place and bombarded it with all manner of weaponry until it was nothing more than a smear on the ground. Most of the soldiers had only been too happy to blast away at the palace and it had also pleased most of the citizens. The Royal Guard HQ was left as a ruined husk of its former self as a symbol of the failure that was the Sethelonian Royalty.

The old building style of the Sethelonians which was filled with grace and beauty was abandoned and was instead replaced with a stronger more advanced looking building style. Xion had taken the building styles of the Resurgent Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War. This meant that the capital was being made to look like the ancient city that used to exist on Dromund Kaas. The Imperial Citadel was to be the heart and center of the city. Whereas the Royal Guard HQ and Palace had been placed to the far north of the city, away from its people, the location of the new government building would show that the heads were well aware that they were responsible for the welfare of the people.

Companies and businesses which had once been on the verge of bankruptcy now found themselves uplifted by the funds Xion sent their way. This also helped to increase employment rates as now the masses were finally able to get jobs again now that their employers could afford to pay them.

As for the symbol of the new Sith Empire, that was also taken from the Resurgent Sith; the symbol being a hexagon with a inner hexagon that had large bars coming from each point. The symbol was silver and painted on a red background, the classic color of the Sith. This replaced the old Sethelonian flag which was a blue colored fist in a circle that had a yellow background.

As for the military ranks, Thrawn had been elevated all the way up to Grand Admiral and was in charge of the entire Imperial Armada. Also, in order to solve the problem of a lack of rulers for the various planets under Imperial control, Xion came up with the Moff position. It was originally used by the old Sith Empire and it basically meant governor. The Moffs were to be in control of the sector that they were assigned to. There were a total of 326 sectors in the Empire at the moment and one sector could have up to 10 habitable planets under its control. All of the Moffs would be headed by Grand Moff Gillren Delaus, a man of 50 years with a stern look to him, gray hair; and was a brilliant strategist, tactician, good at finance, and an excellent manager of government.

Technically, the Grand Moff position would be second to that of the Emperor, but realistically, everyone knew that it was Thrawn who was the real second in command. Darth Catherous as Kaemon was now known as was recognized as the third in command with Grand Moff Gillren being fourth in command.

Imperial Intelligence or I.I. was a new sector that was created with the goal of spying, espionage and all things related to it. The previous department which had filled out that role had by Xion's arrival been nonexistent. Any member of the military who had skills in sneaking, hiding, spying, etc. had been put into the department. HK-47 was put in charge of I.I. and had been tasked with making the members as good as him, to which the droid replied that such a task would be impossible. Xion had to agree there, but ordered it nonetheless.

As for military recruitment, the old Sethelonian Kingdom had placed restrictions that only allowed human males to enlist, and even then, they had to own some sort of land; although that requirement was relaxed quite a bit. Now, women, and aliens were also being allowed to join up, greatly increasing the size of the military and decreasing unemployment. Paying them all wasn't a problem as Xion had a lot of money, but the rapid increase in military size was going to be a bit of a hassle to handle.

As far as propaganda went, most people already hated the Royal Family so justifying their mass slaughter wasn't too hard. Also, a vast renaming process had gone into effect, with many of the places having once been named Sethelonian or Royal, now being called Sith or Imperial. Also, with all the revitalizing of the economy being done by the Sith Empire a new zeal of patriotism was rising inside the people. Old symbols of the Sethelonian Kingdom were brought down and burnt to a crisp. Statues of the old rulers were toppled, old flags were burned, and those few who still supported the old order were either dead, or too afraid to come out for fear of retaliation by an angry mob.

Schools all over the Empire were now given orders to teach about the actual history of the founding of the Sethelonian Kingdom, bringing back knowledge of the Galactic Republic and other subjects. As more and more people were informed of the lies the Sethelonian Royal Family had propagated their fury for them increase. It was theorized that the hate for Royalty would last for generations to come.

Even with all the rebuilding and transformation that was going on however, there were still other plans that Xion was already setting into motion.

* * *

"I'm glad you're still alive Varison. Not that I'm discounting you of course." Captain Ralaba said to Thrace. Captain Ralaba was a kind looking old man in his late sixties.

"It's no problem, and thank you for taking us in for now." Thrace said.

"It's no trouble at all." Captain Ralaba said.

Bethany was currently sleeping in one of the rooms that Ralaba's personal guard had escorted her to, making sure she was seen by no one.

"Well, I'm afraid I'll have to get right down to business Ralaba." Varison said.

Captain Ralaba nodded his head in agreement "Yes, I don't think that stalling would help anyone."

"You should already know about Xion's coup, but tell me; do the rest of the soldiers in the base know yet?" Varison asked.

"No, no yet. They don't watch the news too much and I've done my best to insure that they don't hear about it. But to be frank, I don't think I'll be able to hide the information forever. So we'll have to work fast in order to get you all to a safe hiding place." Ralaba said.

"Wait, what? Varison, I thought you said the soldiers at this base were loyal to the Family!" Thrace exclaimed with confusion.

"Wrong, I said the commander was loyal. I never said anything about the average soldier. For all I know, they could hate the Royal Family and by extension our guts." Varison replied.

Thrace grimaced and said "Damn it!" He was hoping to use the base's soldiers as a nucleus to form a rebellion against Xion. Unfortunately now it seemed like they wouldn't be getting much help from here.

"I just don't get it!" Thrace exclaimed suddenly furious "How is it that Xion is able to get away with this! He started a massacre, he killed most of our comrades; why, why is no one doing anything about this!"

Varison looked at Thrace like he was nuts "Are you serious? You think this is the first time in history that a person has killed others in order grab power! Grow up Thrace and get realistic! The facts are facts and right now there's nothing we can do about them except ensure that Bethany survives!"

Ralaba just looked on calmly while he saw Varison yell at Thrace.

"Yes but-" "But nothing Thrace! Xion's won for now, don't you get it? The best thing we can do now is ensure that Bethany survives no matter the cost!"

Thrace relented knowing that starting any type of rebellion wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Varison's face softened and he said "Look, I know you mad, but we have to be realistic here. We're simply not going to raise a rebellion so soon after Xion's taken power. The momentum is with him and he knows it. Xion isn't stupid, not if he was able to do this, granted it probably wasn't that hard but still. He'll be sending his own forces here in a matter of time, right?" Varison looked to Ralaba.

"Yes, it probably is only a matter of time until Xion sends his forces over here. So we have to figure out a place for your group to hide." Ralaba said.

They then began planning for all the details that would need to go into their hiding plan.

* * *

**Meanwhile: Outside Ralaba's office**

"_Are you hearing this? The Royals have been beaten!_" One of the two soldiers said to the other in whispers.

"_I know, think about it, we're finally free! Now we don't have to listen to those disgusting slobs anymore!_" the other soldier whispered back.

Both soldiers had seen the Royal Guards followed by a princess come out from the hanger bay escorted by Ralaba's personal security. Normally they wouldn't have done anything about it, but they had managed to overhear some interesting tidbits of information during the Royal Guards' conversation with Ralaba's personal security; one bit of which was 'Royal Family was killed off'. They hadn't paid attention to the fact that there were two Sethelonian Troopers in the hanger bay, or if they did then they had thought that their conversation hadn't been overheard.

As the group made its way to Ralaba's office two of the group split away. One was a guard and the other the princess. The Troopers followed the larger group and once they went inside the office had started to listen in on the conversation.

"_Hey, remember what Ralaba said about us getting discovered eventually?_" One of the troopers asked the other.

"_Yeah._"

"_Well, why don't we just speed up the process? You go and see if you can contact Coranda. I'll see if I can get this spread around the base._"

With that, both soldiers went off to go and carry out their tasks, further destabilizing the already near non-existent chance that the small group had for survival.

* * *

**Location: Planet Argowa-Turian colony**

The Night-Half was just like any other bar it seemed. No matter where he went it seemed that bars had a universal similarity to each other. Xion was currently dressed up in a cloak that hid most of his features. All that really could be seen was the lower half of his face. Xion sat in a booth apparently waiting for someone. Fortunately the wait wasn't too long as a Turian who was also wearing a cloak to hide himself came and sat down across from him.

"So, I've heard from my contacts that you've come across some interesting info on the Salarian Union." the Turian said.

"So, what if I have? Unless you just so happen to be a high ranking military commander, I don't think this info will be of much use to you." Xion replied.

The Turian grinned or moved his face in indication of good emotion and said "Well it just so happens that I am a high ranking military official, General Altimus is my name." as the general said his name he removed his own cloak showing his face.

"Excellent. I was hoping I'd be able to meet with you. You seem to be one of the few people who realizes the Salarian threat." Of course there was no real Salarian threat, but Altimus was one of the few Turians in the military that was actively calling out for an attack on the Salarian Union.

The Turian Hierarchy and the Salarian Union both bordered a nebula that was rich in many valuable resources. Both groups wanted to exploit the nebula but hadn't due to the fears of a war with each other. This had created a bit of a cold war that had been going on for the last thousand years. Sometimes the situation looked like war would break out and other times it looked like there wasn't any sort of conflict going on at all. This on and off frequency had become highly straining for both groups. They had nothing against each other racially, but they both wanted a resource that could lead them into a war neither side would really wish to have.

Turians while a militant race weren't a warmongering one. They believed in giving oneself up for the greater good of the public. This had generally lead to strict discipline amongst the race and a majority of them served in the military for up to two years at the least.

The Salarians weren't a fighting race as their bodies never really had the tough build of Turians or the adaptive capabilities of humans. Instead they turned to science as their saving grace. Salarians were some of the most brilliant species around. Unfortunately, even as the smartest species around they still had not solved the problem of the cold war that was going on between them and the Turians.

It was this problem that Naruto intended to solve.

"Yes, the Salarians are a dangerous presence in the galaxy. If it weren't for the Free Kingdoms I'm sure the Salarians would have tried to take over the Sethelonians too, eh?" Altimus said, blatantly ignoring the fact that the Turians might have done the exact same thing.

"Yes, you're quite right my friend. This begs the question now of what were going to do about this threat." Xion said.

"Oh, and just what makes you think I'll be discussing that with you. All you're supposed to do is give me some info on the Salarians." Altimus said.

Xion smirked and with a wave of his hand Altimus was mind tricked faster than you could say Jedi.

"Now, I'm sure you realize that now is the time to act, don't you?" Altimus nodded dumbly "Good, now the info I'm about to give you will allow the Turian Hierarchy to go to war with the Salarians. Currently their economy is in shambles, their military is underfunded, understaffed, and unpaid. Moral is at an all time low, and this info contains everything you'll need in order to invade, understand?" Xion asked at the end.

Altimus continued to nod while Xion produced a data chip containing all of the info. It was mostly false information mixed in with a little truth. After all, that's how the best of lies were formed.

"And now, for my final gift." Xion said as he brought out a hologram of what looked like a big generator. At Altimus' confused look Xion explained "This is a special weapon just in case things go south during your expedition into the Salarian Union. It's only good in a space battle. Use this and victory will be yours. The instructions are right here with the hologram." Xion then gave the hologram to Altimus who had a greedy look in his eyes as he took it.

"Well, I hope this meeting has been as fruitful for you as it was for me." Xion said.

"Oh yes, with this I'll finally be able to convince those cowards in the Hierarchy to go to war. Once I've been given my rewards for winning this war I'll be sure to send you something nice." Altimus said.

Xion merely smirked in satisfaction.

* * *

**Location: Planet Sinestra-Salarian Colony**

"So, you want me to get into the heart of the Salarian capital, cause a massive explosion that while doing a lot of damage doesn't kill anyone important, and at the same time make it look like the Turians caused this terrorist attack, right?" the Salarian mercenary asked.

Xion nodded his head in affirmation.

"Your insane, you're simply insane. And I've got to be insane for actually thinking on how to do this." the merc said.

"So, you'll do it?" Xion queried.

"How could I not; especially with the money you're offering." The merc said.

"Well, I'm glad you'll be able to do this; although I am a bit surprised that you don't seem to have any reservations about doing this to your own people." Xion said.

"Heh, if they're too stupid to realize that even Turians wouldn't leave behind such obvious evidence then that's not my problem." the merc replied.

"Well, I'm glad to see that morals won't be a problem here." Xion said and finished up the deal with the Salarian Merc.

* * *

"We must attack! Can't you all see that this information is proof that now is the time to strike and take the Altarian Nebula for ourselves! We can invade through it and completely crush the Salarians, putting them in their place!" Altimus yelled out to the members of the Hierarchy.

Much of the Hierarchy was looking interested in what General Altimus was saying but there were still members that were apprehensive about Altimus' plan.

"Ah, Altimus are you sure this is such a good idea. In theory it sounds great, but it requires that a great majority of our military forces be put into a single massive fleet for the purpose of invading the Salarians. Are you sure it's wise to leave our own territory guarded only by reserve troops?" the Hierarchy member asked.

"You fool! It isn't as if we're getting rid of the police or anything! There's no need to have our military guarding us anyhow! Whose going to attack? The Sethelonians, the _Free Kingdoms_?" Altimus' voice took on a mocking quality at the end which quickly shut the member up.

"Now now Altimus, there's no reason to be so rude. Kolran's concerns are valid. To simply leave our people near defenseless is only asking for trouble. And trouble readily comes to those who ask for it." another Hierarchy member named Crious said.

"Er, don't you see, it's only a matter of time before the Salarians take advantage of us when we're in a crisis. So we have to strike first, before the Salarians can rebuild. If we don't do this then future historians will write about us and our folly for not attacking the Salarian's here and now!" Altimus yelled out in frustration.

More members were becoming convinced and Altimus spoke once more "The Altarian Nebula has been a prize we Turians have been deprived of for so long simply because of a bunch of soft bodied Salarians! Our people who could… no, should have benefited from this vast resource have instead been forced to sit and watch as the Salarians contested with us for ownership of this space. There hasn't been much in the way of conflict but our people are living constant worry that one day the Salarians will attack us and take everything we hold dear. With this plan we can end it. We can end the fear, we can end the confusion, we can bring about the greatest piece of Turian history to ever be cataloged if only we would attack now!" Altimus finished, breathing a bit from his longwinded speech.

Several members of the Hierarchy began to cheer in agreement yelling "Altimus!". Soon the majority of the Hierarchy was swayed by Altimus' speech and was also cheering his name.

Crious and Kolran looked at each other.

"It looks like it will be war then." Kolran said sadly.

Crious narrowed his eyes and said "Something just doesn't feel right to me. We've been at peace for a thousand years with the Salarians and this can't be the only time they've ever faced economic trouble, so why attack now? What makes this time any different? The same is also true vice versa, we've had our own turbulent times in the past that would have been perfect for the Salarians to attack us but they didn't. There has to be something bigger going on, Altimus; what are you up to?"

Kolran replied "Well, in the end it doesn't seem to matter much, war is war, and it's going to be fought it looks like."

Crious just continued to contemplate on what could be the bigger meaning hidden behind this war that Altimus wanted.

"This is an outrage! We can't just simply let the Turians get away with this!" One Salarian Union member by the name of Flaxon roared.

Many others agreed with him nodding their heads to show it.

* * *

"This attack on the center of our government is a direct challenge by the Turians and a showing of their true intentions! We must retaliate! If we don't we'll be showing our incompetence to the people and we'll be showing the Turians that their actions have scared us!" said Flaxon.

"Yeah!" was the shout out of many Salarians in agreement.

"Now wait a moment. We don't know for sure that the Turians are responsible. Yes the evidence that was left behind strongly suggests that the Turians are responsible but for all we know that could have just been done on purpose to draw our eyes away from the real perpetrators." another Salarian by the name of Gaborth said.

"Oh Gaborth? And tell me, what if the Turians really are responsible and they want us to know it was them just to insult us. Have you thought of that?" Flaxon argued back.

"W-Well, no. I guess I hadn't really thought about that. But what exactly are you suggesting we do?" Gaborth asked.

"We declare war, what else can we do!" Flaxon shouted.

Instantly the mood in the room changed. Now most of the Salarians wore apprehensive looks on their faces, none of them the least bit comfortable with that idea. They were angry but none of them were thinking to go as far as declare war.

"D-Don't you think that's a bit extreme Flaxon?" one of the Union members asked nervously.

"Extreme. EXTREME! ARE YOU REALLY THAT MUCH OF A COWARD?" Flaxon yelled.

"The heart of our government has been attacked and only by fortune's grace was no one killed in this attack! Imagine if someone had been killed! The very fact is that this attack could have and should have been far more disastrous than it was. We must take use of this. The Turians will likely think that we are in chaos right now. SO NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO STRIKE!" Flaxon roared, convincing most with what would under normal circumstances be considered common sense.

Of course, had they known of the Sethelonian Kingdom's recent events then they would have considered the situation anything but normal. Ah, ignorance is a bliss after all.

"A-Are you sure it wouldn't be better to just simply use the STG to strike back at the Turians?" the same Union member asked one final time in an attempt to dissuade war.

"Haven't you been listening at all? That won't cut it! If we don't respond with a show of force so powerful that it will obliterate any and all attempts by the Turians to retaliate then we will never be safe! We need to invade, show the Turians that they can't mess with us!" Flaxon yelled.

"But where would we even begin this invasion, and how would we do it?" another member of the Union asked.

"Why, we'll use the Altarian Nebula of course! We'll gather one of the largest armadas ever seen and send it forward to crush the Turians." Flaxon explained.

While most were apprehensive of that idea they were mainly convinced on the going to war part.

Sadly for them, no one else was able to come up with a better plan **(1)**, and so they had no other choice but to go along with what Flaxon had proposed.

* * *

Chaos had erupted at the outpost that Varison, Thrace, and Bethany were staying at.

The soldiers there had gone into a rebellion against Ralaba and his officers. A massive battle was now going on inside the base while Thrace and Varison rushed to get Bethany out of there as soon as possible.

"What the hell happened!" Thrace asked Varison.

"What the hell makes you think I know!" Varison snapped back.

Bethany sighed as the two argued with each other on the situation.

After Bethany had woken up she had been checked on by one of Ralaba's men who had then gone to fetch her some breakfast. It had been decided by Thrace, Varison, and Ralaba that they would keep knowledge of her presence to a minimum in order to avoid any possible leaking of her whereabouts. Bethany hated to be confined to just her room but understood the necessity of it and as such had complied with the plan.

After her breakfast, Ralaba had been a bit lenient on the plan and decided to allow Bethany to explore the base as long as she was disguised and guarded.

Once her tour was done and she was returning to her room, she and her guard started to hear a large amount of noise echoing throughout the base. Her guard then quickly brought her back to her room and proceeded to investigate the cause of so much noise.

It had been ten minutes later that Thrace and Varison had burst into her room startling her. Thrace, his amber colored eyes flashing in worry, immediately rushed over to Bethany and pulled her into a hug; relief filling his voice.

"Oh thank God, you're alive! When the fighting broke out we were inside the commons. We barely made it out alive." Thrace said.

Bethany could see this was indeed true. Both Thrace and Varison had scorch marks on their armor and nicks from where vibroblades had tried to cut them. They also looked winded from their journey.

"Well, can you tell me who did this to you?" Bethany asked even though she already knew, but a small part of her was hoping it wasn't true.

"It was the Troopers." Varison said calmly, shattering any small and floundering hopes Bethany might have had.

"What I don't get is how they could have found out though. We took the utmost caution in making sure that no one saw Bethany. And even then, Ralaba said that the soldiers here were mostly ignorant of what's been going on in the rest of the Kingdom." Thrace said exasperatedly.

"Well, in the end it doesn't matter. Right now we have to get out of here. And fast I might add." Varison said worriedly.

Thrace and Bethany nodded at that and they all left the room and began hurrying out towards the hanger bay where the ship was docked.

As they were leaving however, they ran smack dab into a group of Sethelonian Troopers. The two groups just stood there looking at each other for a few seconds, the Troopers in surprise and the Royals in apprehension. Finally it was Thrace and Varison who attacked first, charging in at the group with their lances. The Troopers scattered but two weren't fast enough and were impaled. Blood squirting out, covering the walls, floor, and lances.

The rest of the soldiers, furious at their comrades death attacked, some trying to blast the two knights while others went up close and personal.

Thrace and Varison activated their shields and blocked the blaster shots while the other men tried to get around them and attack with their vibroblades. As the blaster wave ended so the swordsmen could come up Thrace used his lance and bashed one of them in the head quite brutally. With a sickening crack the man fled down while two of his friends tried to go in and take vengeance.

One came up on the left while the other on the right. Thrace was forced to dodge the speedy attacks of the two as they came in for his weak spots. However, their speedy attacks left them tried soon and Thrace counterattacked with his blaster lance, spraying a stream of blaster bolts on the two. One of them managed to get away but for the soldier who didn't he was blasted with a steady stream of blaster bolts. The first round was dulled by his armor but as more came the soldier was eventually killed.

While the other soldier tried to move in close once again Thrace moved to counter. Thrace brought up his lance and tired to jab it forward but he was too slow as the soldier moved around it and brought his vibrosword up to slash at Thrace's stomach, where even protected by armor there would be damage. But Thrace brought up his energy shield at the last minute and blocked the hit before throwing up his lance, changing his grip on it, and impaling it on the soldier's head.

Blood and some brain matter now covered the lance when it was pulled out and the soldier fell to the floor dead; his head having a hole in it with the helmet being dented around the hole.

Varison meanwhile had taken up the offensive immediately giving no time for the enemy to react. He had already impaled another soldier on his lance and then proceeded to start blasting at the others with the impaled soldier still on.

Varison's ferociousness had forced the others back, but now they returned blaster fire forcing Varison to bring up his shield. While the blaster fire continued Varison began to move forward, his shield protecting him. Seeing that their blaster fire was having no effect, one of the soldiers pulled out a grenade, set it, and threw it at Varison. Varison saw the grenade coming his way and did what any smart person would do.

Use your blaster lance like a baseball bat and hit a home run!

While the grenade was now going back to its original owners, Varison had already started blasting away at the rest of the soldiers; catching two in his wave of blaster bolts. Once the grenade landed on the ground the timer reached zero immediately and blew up, sending a cascade of fire, wall, floor, and other breakable material. Most of the soldiers were caught up in the blast or the shrapnel and now had injuries going from torn off legs to cut up torsos. Those who were in the epicenter of the blast and survived were somewhat luckier as their wounds were cauterized and they would likely survive while the unlucky ones had to try and stem the flow of blood.

It was just about over as Varison and Thrace took care of the last of the troops when all of a sudden a voice stopped them dead in their tracks "I suggest you stop what you're doing right now and drop your weapons."

Slowly, Thrace and Varison turned around, horrified looks on their faces as they saw what had happened.

Bethany was being held hostage by one of the soldiers, who even with his helmet on, could still be seen with a smirk on his face.

Bethany was quite frightened at the moment, and had tears gathered up in her eyes though none spilled out. She didn't really know what to do right now; normally she would have tried to stomp on her captors foot or kick him in the balls, but that plan was thrown right out the window with the armor the guy was wearing. So she was now forced to play the hostage role, completely and utterly useless. Yep, great time to be Bethany right now.

As Thrace and Varison dropped their weapons and put their hands up showing that they had nothing else, Bethany's captor began to go towards the door, holding Bethany all the way.

"Well now, I think I'll keep this girl; you know, until I'm sure I'm safe." the soldier then was about to hit the button to open the door behind him when it opened by itself revealing two officers, one of whom pointed a blaster pistol at the soldier's head and fired, ending his life.

As the soldier fell, dead, Varison and Thrace rushed to Bethany, relief on their faces.

"My god, you're safe Bethany." Thrace said, happiness flowing throughout his voice. "I don't know what I was going to do when that man had you hostage, my god I'm so sorry; I should have been protecting you." Thrace continued as his voice started to break.

"Thanks for saving her. We were almost screwed for the rest of our lives there." Varison said to the officers.

While Bethany tried to assure Thrace that it wasn't his fault, they were all lead by the officers to a meeting room where Ralaba and his men were reorganizing.

"Sir, at this rate its only a matter of time until the traitors have enough forces to completely overwhelm us! We may have a few hours at best. How is the princess supposed to escape in the meantime?" asked one of the officers.

Ralaba looked up from the layout of the base that all the officers were crowded around once he heard Bethany, Thrace, and Varison enter.

He smiled at them and spoke, although once could clearly hear the worry in his voice "Ah, it's good to see you all safe and sound, though a little worse for wear if the battle damage is anything to go by."

Varison and Thrace nodded in agreement while Ralaba started going over their current situation.

"Well, just as we feared, the troops are rebelling against us. Apparently someone managed to get out the info of what's been going on throughout the Kingdom and of how there was a Royal here." Ralaba said.

"Well then shouldn't we hunt down this traitor and bring him to justice?" Thrace asked.

"I'm sorry my boy, but finding and dealing with this person is the least of our problems. Right now we have to figure out how we're going to get you all off of this base." Ralaba replied.

"W-What! But I thought we were going to help you guys fight!" Thrace said surprised.

Varison simply face palmed while Bethany looked worried at the notion of fighting again.

Ralaba chuckled softly and said "It's good to see that you have the spirit, but I'm afraid that getting the princess out of here safely takes precedence."

Thrace winces at that reminder and turns, smiling apologetically to Bethany.

Bethany smiles in forgiveness and one of Ralaba's officers speaks again "Sir, we will want to go over what forces we have under our command compared to the rebels."

"Right." another one of the officers agrees and begins speaking "Well, from what we've gathered, about 80 of the original men stationed aboard this base have been loyal to us, all officers included in this count. The rest of the some 200 other soldiers, no officers among this number, are not loyal and are now in rebellion against us. They have already contacted the capital for reinforcements as the records from the communication logs tell us and after the initial uprising we currently have about maybe 49 troops available to us. 17 are dead and 14 are wounded and or dying. We have just 49 troops to hold off the some 160 men the rebels have. And with reinforcements coming for the rebels soon I only have this too say, we are royally fucked."

Most of the other officers in the room agreed and one of the more frightened ones asked "D-Do you think if we simply surrendered that the Imperials wouldn't just take us prisoner.

Ralaba chuckled and said "I highly doubt it. We've proven that we're not loyal to this new regime and if Xion has any brains he'll kill us all in order to make things easier. We're all dead men and we know it."

The mood turned somber as the people in the room contemplated this fact.

"Either way, our lives aren't important; Bethany's life is, and we have to do everything in our power to ensure that Bethany escapes. Is that understood?" Ralaba said.

"Sir, yes sir!" was the resounding response, many having already come to terms with their death.

Bethany meanwhile felt horrible on the inside. Her she was, being completely useless while everyone else was working so hard to save her. She wanted to help, to be useful in something, but the fact was that she had never really been prepared for this kind of situation. She was suited for the life of a comfortable politician, making decisions and judgments based on calmer situations such as what to do about the public opinion of the new dam coming up or something along those lines. She was never meant to have to deal with problems of a military nature. While some blame can be put on Bethany for never really taking the incentive in these cases, the fact was that no one had ever predicted that this would happen to her and as such no one ever bothered to get her started on the military path.

While this was mostly good as it had helped keep her kind and innocent, in this situation it was bad. Admittedly though, in this situation there wasn't much that could be done anyways save for escaping.

"Well sir, that's going to be a bit hard considering the fact that the hanger bay is on the other side of the base, which is under the control of the rebels." one of the officers stated.

"Hm, yes you're right, unfortunately the hanger is under their control, and we don't have the ability to retake it." Ralaba said solemnly.

"Sir, if I might suggest, could we simply not just act as a diversionary force and distract the rebels long enough for the Princess to make her escape?" another one of the officers suggested.

"Yes, I was thinking that too. The idea is good, but the problem is we simply don't know how much time we'll be able to buy. Oh well, I suppose it will just have to do." Ralaba said.

He then started to point out a route on the map of the base "This is the shortest route from here to the hanger bay. I'll have my men lead the attack on the rebels, first sending them through the same route to ensure that it's clear. Afterwards, you'll follow through and make your way to the hanger bay. Now, I don't want any of you to get involved with the battle here, understand me?" Ralaba seemed to be looking more at Varison and Thrace when he said this.

Both nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Good, the only reason either of you two should be getting involved in battle, is if enemy troops are directly blocking your path." Ralaba finished.

"Well Captain, I'll go and inform the men of the plan and start preparing them as well." one of the officers said and left.

Ralaba nodded in confirmation and gave a sigh, wiping off a bit of sweat that had worked its way onto his face. He was truly worried, not for his own life but for the lives of those kids who had been thrown into such an adventure by that detestable Xion. Ralaba gave a grimace as he thought about him. Ralaba was no real fan of the Royals, but they were the rightful rulers of the Sethelonian Kingdom and it was his job to respect and obey their rule. He was a stickler for the rules and had faithfully served the Royalty for years.

He admitted that what Xion had done might have been for the best, but to make someone like Bethany go through such as terrible thing as losing their entire family, even if they were assholes was something that Ralaba couldn't overlook.

As he gave another sigh, he hoped Bethany and her entourage could make it through these harrowing times.

* * *

A Sith Interdictor appeared out of hyperspace right above Ralaba's base.

"_Sir, we're glad that you've arrived. The princess and her group are currently holed up on the other side of the base. They're outnumbered right now and they'll have to assume defensive positions. We would have attacked them again by now but I want to make sure we have sufficient numbers before we make our assault. Ralaba's still a good commander and it is likely that we'll take some heavy casualties trying to assault them._" the leader of the rebels turned Imperials said over the vid-screen

"Don't worry, we'll send you reinforcements. You'll be able to crush them easily enough." the Captain replied.

Nodding his head, the soldier cut off the vid-screen and the Captain turned and activated the hologram where and image of Xion appeared.

"My lord, the last Royal is in this base. We're about to send in reinforcements to support our comrades inside. even if by some grand miracle they do manage to get out of there we still have the tractor beam on the ship to capture them. This is their last stand." the Captain said victoriously.

"_Actually, I don't want you to catch them._" said Xion.

"W-What? But my lord, this is it!. With Bethany's death there is no one that can contend with you for the throne! Isn't that what you want?" the Captain said shocked.

"_Don't worry, I have special plans for those people. Just make good show of trying to catch them. Wouldn't want them to get suspicious._"

"O-Of course my lord." the Captain said, still a bit shocked.

* * *

Several men were patrolling the hallways leading to the hanger bay. Right now they were mostly just making small talk, having nothing better to do at the moment.

As two of the soldiers conversed, one of them noticed that there was a large cylinder-like object that was rolling towards them.

One of them crouched down and picked it up only realizing to late what it truly was "Oh shit, it a grena-" he was cut off as it exploded taking out several troops.

"What the hell just happened?" one of the surviving men asked even as they now found themselves under attack from enemy troops.

"We're attack you moron! What the hell else do you think is going on!" responded one of the other survivors.

"Somebody call for help, we're about to get overwhelmed here!" another survivor shouted.

"Keep up the attack men,; we're going to drive these bastards back!" one of Ralaba's men shouted.

Now, one might be curious as to why any soldiers save for the officers would be fighting for Ralaba. Their reasons were simply because they liked Ralaba. Ralaba wasn't a cruel or harsh commander. He had treated the men under him very well and many had grown to like him. The major issue however was that Ralaba supported the rule of the Royals. He didn't like how they did things but he believed that theirs was the lawful authority. This had the effect of immediately repulsing most of his men as they couldn't stand the Royals. Those who were able to get over that fact were loyal to Ralaba and not the Royals and now fought for him out of that same loyalty.

The initial surprise attack by Ralaba's men was proving to be successful as surprised turncoat Imperial troops now found themselves under attack and unable to successfully retaliate.

"What the hell is going on! Why are we under attack? There's no way that Ralaba has enough men for this to work!" one of the Sethelonian Commando's yelled out.

"We don't know sir, but they're forcing our men back, and we're taking heavy casualties along the way!" one of the troopers responded.

"How is that possible? They have less men then us! They should be demoralized and frightened for their lives!" the Commando yelled.

"Either way sir, we need to mobilize the rest of the men, and fast too, otherwise well be the ones on the run!" the trooper said.

"Sound the alarms, activate all turret defenses under our control, and make sure those reinforcement troops are directed to the battle sites immediately, understood?" the Commando ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!" was the resounding response.

* * *

The plan had worked. While the rebel troops had been busy fighting Ralaba's men, the way had been made clear in a vicious push by Ralaba's into the rebel controlled side. Bethany, Thrace, and Varison had made it to the hanger bay and were prepping Varison's ship for launch.

"Where are we supposed to go now?" Bethany had asked while the ship was lifting off.

"Don't worry, Ralaba gave me the coordinates to one of his safe houses. It's even more remote than that base." Varison joked a bit.

The mood grew somber as everyone thought about those who were sacrificing their lives for them. Once the ship lifted off and set out for space, the weight of the situation seemed to once more crash upon them.

"Well, let's at least focus on trying to get out of here first; because it looks like we're in for a fight." Thrace said somewhat in an attempt to distract them; more so to warn them.

Varison and Bethany looked out the windows and saw what Thrace was talking about. There was an entire Sith Interdictor blocking the way. Starfighters immediately flew out and started shooting down at them.

Varison began dodging the shots while speeding up, trying to get away from the ship. The Sith Interdictor meanwhile began to fire its laser batteries at the Bartel-class ship.

"Remember, don't hit the ship, whatever you do, don't hit the ship! These are Xion's personal orders!" the Interdictor's Captain warned.

The starfighters pilots always aimed slightly too much to one side or the other, making it look like they were trying but just failing to hit the ship.

Eventually, the Bartel made it through and jumped into hyperspace as quickly as possible.

* * *

"Damn." one of Ralaba's officers said as he applied bacta to his wound.

Ralaba smirked sadly as he knew that his time was about to come to an end. Everybody save for Ralaba and five other officers had been killed. Now they were trapped in his office, ready to make the final stand.

They could hear voiced outside as the Imperials struggled to get through the durasteel door.

"Well gentlemen, I must say it has been enjoyable to serve with men such as yourselves. I've had fun these last few years working alongside you all, and I'm sad to see it all come to an end. But, I suppose everything good must come to its end. So, with these final words let us look ahead to the battle. May your hearts run true in battle's gruesome fate." Ralaba spoke his final words.

His men nodded to him and faced forward.

Two men had each taken their positions on opposite sides of the door. The other three along with Ralaba had turned over the desk for a makeshift barricade.

Meanwhile, outside the office the Sethelonian Troopers had brought out a bazooka in an attempt to blast the doors open. They stood as far back as possible while still being close enough to retain the momentum.

The bazooka fired and its missile went all the way and hit the door, blasting it apart and killing both of the officers standing guard behind it and wounding an additional officer due to shrapnel getting caught in his shoulder.

The rest had managed to duck in time, but the office was now worse for wear as the explosion had caused a few things to catch fire and shrapnel had destroyed additional items.

Ralaba and his remaining officers were quick on the uptake though and had immediately come out of cover before the smoke had cleared and were already blasting through it. Their shots seemed to hit their marks as several thumps were heard as cries of pain also reverberated through the halls and office.

Retaliatory fire was quick in coming however, and another one of Ralaba's officers lay dead soon enough. The injured officer had tried to position himself in a way that would still let him fight; unfortunately with the shrapnel embedded in his right shoulder, his right arm which was the dominant one was not usable.

Suddenly there was a clinking sound and then another explosion, this one completely breaking the desk and killing the other two officers while leaving Ralaba with severe burns and other injuries.

As Ralaba lay there, dying, his last thoughts were on the three who were on their new journey. '_I hope, those three make through these harrowing times. They're our final hope in defeating this menace known as Xion!_'

* * *

Proud Turian and Salarian mothers and fathers cheered and watched as their sons and daughters marched off to war. Celebrations were taking place all throughout the Salarian Union and Turian Hierarchy as both sides thought about their quick ends to the war.

Eager faces of young soldiers thought about the glorious battle that they were to soon be a part off. The peace which had been going on for a thousand years had now been broken and no one mourned it, for there was no one left alive who could remember the true horrors of war.

The fleets were prepared, invasion forces marshaled, young recruits trained and equipped, and crowds cheering for their victory.

The commanders of both sides smirked at the thought of surprising the other, neither knowing about the fate that would befall them.

Massive amounts of military forces had been gathered, as both sides expected to use initial overwhelming force combined with surprise to win. They drained their military for this operation, neither side caring for the consequences, after all; they knew that there was no other threat out there save for each other.

And then, the moment came. Both armadas had been gathered and had set out for the Altarian Nebula, each set on passing through it for a surprise attack on each other.

* * *

**Location: Turian Command Ship Decimus**

"Ahhhhhhh." Altimus gave a content sigh as he eased back into his soft and comfortable command chair which was in the center of the command bridge. The center of the command bridge was made up of a comfort area where high ranking members could sit back, relax, and enjoy. It had a bar with the finest liquors, excellent cuisine, and several entertainment systems. The rest of the bridge contained the military equipment, bridgecrew, and a window which gave an excellent view of the surrounding battle.

"So gentlemen, as you can see, we are near the middle of the nebula and will be done with the journey in a few more hours. Soon enough our invasion will begin and we can safely start to extract resources from this valuable place." Altimus said, satisfaction seeping throughout his voice.

"I must say, I've never really been inside a nebula before, it's quite beautiful you know." one of the Hierarchy members said. Most nodded in agreement. The glowing clouds, multitudes of color swirling around, brightening the darkness of outer space and giving birth to new stars, a nebula was a great place of wonders and mysteries.

Unfortunately, this particular nebula was about to become a battleground as the Salarian and Turian fleets were about to collide.

* * *

**Location: Salrian Command Ship Polaris**

"Well my fellow Union members, it's safe to say that we are about to make history. This war of ours will be one of the crowning achievements of our people. We'll crush the Turians long before they get the chance to organize a defense of any sort." Flaxon said.

His fellow Union members nodded in agreement. They were currently in a special room that was reserved only for the top officials of the government. They had the finest comforts that one could possibly want, and there was a glass dome that gave a great view of outer space so that they could watch a space battle if one occurred.

Right now they were currently relaxing and talking about how they would managed the territory they were about to conquer.

"I think we should focus on the schools. Surely they'll need to be changed; I've seen Turian science reports, and their ghastly!"

"I think that whole clan thing they've got going on needs to be changed. They had an entire civil war over clan issues. We simply can't ignore those problems. I say we dissolve the clans a political powers."

"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. It's their economy, I mean really, half of it is focused on the military. I can't even begin to fathom how they've managed to survive this long with that kind of shoddy thing."

As the conversation continued, the fleet drew ever closer to the middle of the nebula.

* * *

**Location: Turian Command Ship Decimus**

Two men were working at the radars and sensors when one of them noticed something odd appearing on one of the sensors.

"Hey Recountis, come check this out." one of the Turians said to the other.

Recountis looked at the screen and said "Well, that's weird. We seem to be getting signals of foreign ships approaching."

"But that shouldn't be possible!" said the other Turian.

"Well, better safe than sorry, I'll go and inform the Captain." Recountis said.

* * *

"Well, this is weird. I'm getting the signals of foreign ships. I better inform the Captain." said the Salarian working and the sensors and radars.

* * *

The Turian Captain said "What the-"

* * *

The Salarian Captain said "-hell is-"

* * *

"-going on-"

* * *

"-here?"

* * *

"**WHY ARE WE GETTING ENEMY FLEETS ON THE SENSORS?**" both captains asked at the same time.

* * *

**Location: Turian Command Ship Decimus**

"ALTIMUS, WHY THE HELL ARE WE PREPARING FOR BATTLE NOW? one of the Turian Hierarchy members asked furiously.

"W-What, t-this is impossible. There's no way. The information was good, I know it was!" Altimus yelled desperately.

"Well then, what the hell am I seeing out there? Toothpaste?" another member insulted.

Altimus was starting to grow more desperate as the members began to round on him.

"Launch all stargfighters, prepare missile tubes, and aim all batteries. We need to take out the Salarian's command ship!" the Captain's voice broke through their argument.

The Captain turned around to Altimus and said "Sir, you might want to come up here, we may need your battle expertise."

Seeing the opportunity to get away from the furious Hierarchy members, Altimus took it.

"Well Captain, w-what's the situation?" Altimus asked him, his nerve slipping a bit.

"Well Sir, we have a huge Salarian armada in front of us that almost equals the number of ships we have. We need to find a way to take out their command ship and fast or else we'll be looking at a prolonged and devastating battle." the Captain said.

That's when it hit Altimus "T-The bomb!"

"Excuse me, sir?" the Captain asked, confused.

"T-The bomb! I-I, we still have the bomb. This isn't over yet. Xion, you really did pull through for me!" Altimus said excitedly.

"Bomb, what bomb?" the Hierarchy members were asking, some thinking that Altimus had lost it.

"We can still win this, the plan can still succeed!" Altimus yelled.

Altimus rushed over to a console and began to type out several commands. The special weapon that Xion had given to Altimus had been placed on the dreadnaught Decimus. It was in one of the larger missile launchers, and was now about to fire.

"My fellow Turians, watch as the Salarian fleet foolishly meets their doom!" Altimus yelled out triumphantly.

The weapon was launched out from the dreadnaught and was sent towards the center of the Salarian fleet.

"Sir, we have an oncoming object that's fast approaching! Its bigger than a missile, and the Turians only launched one sir." one of the Salarians aboard the Polaris said to the Captain.

"Well then, shoot it down! I don't want to find out what that thing is going to do when it hits us!" the Captain said with a hard look on his face.

The weapon however, stopped moving right in the middle of the battlefield so abruptly that both sides were shocked. The weapon was set with coordinates that would normally guide it to the place that one wanted it to go, but Xion had placed a set of overriding commands that would ensure the device ended up in the center of the battlefield.

Then, the device went off, and to the shock and horror of both sides, a massive shadow began to form, taking the gravity keeping the nebula together. Both fleets were soon drawn into each other and the shadow. Many ships were being ripped apart, crashing into each other, or being crushed by gravity.

As the Decimus and Polaris went on their collision course with each other, Altimus finally realized what Xion had done.

"X-Xion, you betrayed me!" Altimu said, a doomed realization had entered his voice as he spoke this while his face looked on in horror at the fast approaching Polaris.

* * *

A Sith Interdictor could be found, quite a safe distance away from the battlefield.

On board, Xion watched with a smirk at the distant explosions taking place, feeling the lives that were being stolen due to the Force.

Xion soon began to chuckle, and that chuckle turned into a full blown maddening laughter due to his plan working so well.

Get both the Turians and Salarians to go to war with each other, have them gamble their fates in one massive battle involving almost their entire military strength, and use his Mass Shadow Generator to destroy them both.

Now the Turians and Salarians were ripe for conquest.

* * *

Well, I'm glad to finally be done with this chapter. And my apologies for the fact that it is taking so long to get to the Clone Wars, but I do have to build up to it. There will at least be two more chapters before we get to the Clone Wars part. Now how fast I write them is another story.

(1): It might be a bit unbelievable that no one else can come up with a better plan, but just work with me here.

Hope you enjoy the chapter. And happy very early Thanksgiving!

Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

Well, with all that's going on in Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon, it looks to really focus in on certain factors that lead up to events in episode 3 of Star Wars. That is a really enjoyable part for me and I hope the rest of you like it as well. And if you don't, well that's too bad then.

By the way, as of the current timeline, it has been 3 months since Naruto first set the Turian and Salarian people against each other and it took them that long to gather their full forces against each other. So now a whole year has passed since Naruto left his homeworld.

And now, on with the story.

(Update: This entire beginning author's note was written sometime when the Clone Wars Cartoon was on that Balmora arc with the jerkass Jedi that wielded two double-bladed lightsabers, so the first half really isn't as relevant anymore.)

* * *

It had been near pathetically easy for Xion's forces to conquer the Salarian and Turian people. Exhausted as they were of their military might, both forces simply didn't have enough manpower to fight against the Sith Empire. Of course, Xion hadn't sent out his forces to attack immediately after the destruction to both forces. He had waited for a week before sending out his own military so as to avoid the Salarians and Turians blaming him and his forces for their trouble. Not that it wasn't Xion's fault, but he felt it would be somewhat harder to integrate the Turians and Salarians if they were as a whole, united against him in their hatred of him. As it was, they were mad at being invaded and not because they thought him to be the cause for their weakness, and Xion indented to keep it that way.

The Salarians, after a few one-sided battles realized that there was no hope of combating the Sith Empire and surrendered to Xion quickly enough. It was the Turians that proved the harder. Their stubbornness, sense of civic duty, and pride all rolled up into one tough body made them fight even in their hopeless condition.

At first they had tried to stem the tide, but as it became apparent that they couldn't hold back the Sith's superior numbers they did a mass retreat into their capital planet. By pulling just about all of their military forces left from the defense of their other worlds, the inhabitants felt more or less betrayed and most had joined Xion's Empire willingly enough.

But the Turian capital still put up quite a fight, as by pulling everything for the defense of their capital they gained enough strength to adequately defend their capital from Xion. And they were quite eager to prove this fact, if the failure of Xion's forces to take the Capital was any suggestion.

* * *

**Location: Turian Homeworld Palaven**

The 5th Fleet of the Imperial Armada had the Turian Homeworld blockaded and was currently sending down troops and supplies to the army stationed there.

A Centurion-Class battlecruiser moved through the fleet and from out of its hanger bay a small transport shuttle left and began to make its descent onto the planet surface below.

As it landed on the planet, it came across a city that had been turned into a battlefield. Buildings were burning, streets broken, starfighters strafing places, armies from all around besieging the city, artillery thundering across, antiaircraft guns firing into the sky.

The shuttle came to land in a safe spot behind Imperial lines in order to bring its very important cargo down. As the landing ramp came down a figure dressed in black and red robes and armor while wearing a Mandalorian mask came down it.

Emperor Xion was not pleased at all. As he started his descent, he noticed the dozens of starfighters flying towards the city and large amounts of troops and armored vehicles moving forward.

Walking across the field, Xion was greeted by a very nervous looking General "E-Emperor Xion! W-What a pleasure i-it is to see you! I would ha-"

"Save your pleasantries, this isn't some spa resort." Xion cut off.

"Y-Yes my lord." the general said.

"Now tell me General, why is it that my forces have yet to break through the city defenses. It has been 5 days and we have suffered enormous losses for a campaign of this size!" Xion exclaimed angrily.

"O-Oh, well you see, when I, through no fault of my-accccckkkkkk!" the General never got to finish his sentence as Xion had already begun Force Choking him. The sound of the General struggling to breath could be heard for a few seconds before the man's neck was snapped in two by the strength of Xion's Force Choke.

"Mistakes, I can forgive. Incompetence, I will not forgive!" Xion said. He already knew why the assault was going so badly. The General had thought to try and just attack en mass and sent all of his forces careening at the defenses of the Turian Capital. Sadly, with no prior knowledge of defenses, no scouting of perimeters, no previous bombardments to soften up defenses, and no coordinated way of attack, the entire operation had gone to hell. Many Sith Troopers had already been killed and more were dying still, tank divisions had been wiped out, and starfighter squadrons destroyed.

This all made for a less than happy Xion.

As a Sith Commando came up to Xion, Xion spoke "So Commander, I want to congratulate you on your promotion, Lieutenant. I hope you'll perform well in the future."

The Sith Commando was obviously stunned by the sudden promotion but nodded and saluted "T-Thank you my lord! I will serve you to the best of my capabilities."

"I'm sure you will. But right now I want you to get all of our forces to fall back for now. We won't be taking the city with the way we're currently attacking. We need to reorganize and regroup." said Xion

"Yes my lord!" the Sith Commando hurried to carry out Xion's orders.

* * *

Fighting was fierce along this breach in the wall surrounding the city. Several artillery shots had landed here and destroyed much of this segment's structural support. When the Imperial troops began their attack they managed to collapse this segment of wall. The Turians however were defending this area with everything they had, trying to stem the tide. It was going well for the Turians as the Imperials had attacked without sufficient support, and had taken heavy losses. The Imperials had tried to get reinforcements over, but attacks from wall defenses had been holding them up.

Suddenly, the Imperials attacking the breach began to pull back.

"H-Hey, you guys look! They're pulling away!" one of the Turian soldiers said to his comrades.

"Hey, he's right! Look at 'em! Those bastards are pulling away." another confirmed.

* * *

The Turian defenders began to let out cheers at the sight of the Imperials retreating. Most of them were really just trying to fool themselves, but there were some who believed it would be possible to hold the Capital.

Losses for the Imperials were heavy. They had already lost 5 tank divisions, and several battalions of troops had come back with half of their number gone or injured. Entire starfighter squadrons had been wiped out. Xion was for lack of better word furious; this shouldn't have been as costly as it had been. The lives of many good men had been laid to rest thanks to the foolishness of one General.

"Now, it's obvious that we can't attack en mass like we did in the beginning with no coordination amongst our troops. So, fist we'll start by having a massive artillery barrage followed by starfighter attacks. During these attacks, we'll send Battalions 45, 76, and 23 over to the breach over on the eastern side of the city. This is where their defenses have taken their greatest hits, so these depleted battalions should be able to win. The Turians won't be able to repair their defenses in time for our next assault. While the breach is being attacked, I'll have several groups of skilled Commando's transported by air and under the protection of starfighters land on the western side of the city and bring down the shields keeping the defense there. Lastly, as for the main gate, I'll assault it myself." Xion finished.

There were immediate protests from the other ranked officers in the tent where the meeting was taking place.

"But my lord! That gate was responsible for the loss of 3 of the 5 tank divisions! It's suicide to go out and lead the assault yourself!" one of the officers said.

"I agree, let's think of another method, surely they can't withstand another assault, can they? Let's just use some of our stronger battalions to assault the main gateway." another tried to convince Xion.

"My, my gentlemen. It looks as if you have no confidence in me. That really hurts, really, _really hurts_." Xion said in a sarcastic tone.

"Look, you will follow through with the planning that I have gone through. I will lead the attack on the main gate. And the rest of the attacking force will follow me in, am I understood." Xion asked, but it really sounded like more of a statement.

"B-But sir-"

"_Am I understood._" this time Xion fully stated it.

"Yes my lord." all of the officers said.

"Excellent" Xion ended the meeting.

* * *

**Several Day's Later**

"Hey Serge, what is that?" one of the Turians patrolling the main gate wall asked.

The Turian Sergeant took out a pair of binoculars and looked down at where the soldier was pointing at. What he saw nearly had him on the ground laughing himself to death. It seemed as if the Sethelonians **(1)** couldn't take the heat and were now going to try and talk them down. Well, it wasn't working.

"HEY, SEND THIS TO YOUR ASS FACED WIMP COMMANDERS! WE'RE NOT SURRENDERING, AND THERE WON'T BE ANY NEGOTIATIONS OF ANY SORT!" the Sergeant yelled out while his troops cheered out in agreement.

The 'diplomat' was dressed up in red robes and looked like it had on armor while it was also wearing a mask. It was easily the weirdest dress up any diplomat could have as far as the Turian Sergeant was concerned, but he really didn't think it mattered.

The oddly dressed 'diplomat' suddenly brought his hands together. The Turians looked on confused but quickly switched to shocked as a large amount of energy began to form between the diplomat's hands. The Turians quickly wasted no time in aiming their weapons at the diplomat, or at least they tried to. Instead, they only felt this hopeless sense of dread, as if didn't matter what they did, that they wouldn't win no matter what. This was true in a way, but this feeling of hopelessness only magnified that fact.

As the 'diplomat' was finished charging up its attack, it fired the ball of energy forward and watched as the destructive force went on its way, completely blasting its way through the previously unassailable main gate, destroying all the defenses and defenders.

* * *

Xion gave a smirk behind his mask as he watched his powerful Force Push do its work. He had also used the power of the Dark Side to instill hopelessness and fear into the Turian's minds. He was slowly doing this to every soldier defending the capital as well. This would make them far easier prey for his own troops to fight.

Meanwhile, the stunned Imperial soldiers behind him could do nothing but stare in shock that their Emperor was capable of destruction like this. Their shock turned to cheering however as they started to gain hope that they would win this battle.

As Xion walked forward, his soldiers started to charge in, giving out battle cries and chanting "Xion!" over and over again in their euphoria.

Tanks rushed in, blasting away and pushing back the Turians who didn't have the equipment necessary to deal with medium vehicles. Soldiers stormed in as well, blasting away at every Turian they saw, the only ones out being soldiers anyways as all the civilians had been evacuated to shelters.

The Turians were on an en masse retreat and those that were staying behind were firing at the Sith Troopers trying to kill as many as they could. Their bullets however proved to be very ineffective against armor made to stand up against lasers. Turians and the Salarians were at the lower ends of technology compared to the Sith Empire, even though the Sith Empire itself was 4000 years behind that of the Republic's tech.

As the Imperial forces stormed down the main gate, the other forces were attacking their targets.

* * *

"Blow em open!" a Turian yelled as a cannon fired its shell over at the oncoming Imperial forces.

"TAKE COVER!" yelled out the commanders as their troops jumped out of the way of the shell. Several were still mauled by it, but the Imperials just kept coming even as more were taken down.

Good thing they weren't the only ones taking losses.

As one raw Turian recruit tried to take careful aim with his rifle his head was pierced by a laser while others had their torsos hit, their legs and arms burnt, or completely blown off due to missiles that were streaking past.

Several Turians had taken shelter behind the rubble that used to be a part of the wall. They had set up a Gatling gun and were now causing a lot of trouble for the assaulting Imperials. Slowly, the Turians began to rally around the Gatling gun, determined to stop the Imperials for as long as possible.

"Sir, their position is unassailable. We can't send any attacking force there without having them get slaughtered. Even with their primitive tech, their just too well concentrated." one Sith trooper said to his commander.

"Blast it! We need to get through there. Does anyone have an idea?" the Sith Commando asked.

"Sir, if possible, perhaps we could fool the Turians into thinking that we were attacking from one point en masse, and then we could sneak in several of our best troops to start taking out that Gatling gunner and his friends." one trooper suggested.

"Alright then, let's go with that! Haven't got anything else anyways." the Sith Commando said before splitting the troops he had with him up and giving orders to one group to begin gathering up the rest of the assaulting troops while the group the commando was with went over to the side of the Turian defenses.

The groups had agreed on waiting for the larger force to send out a flare signal to show the smaller force that their attack was beginning. That way they would know that when the Turian guards left their positions they wouldn't be back soon.

The Sith Commando and his squad waited for a while, some trying to deal with their nervousness in various ways such as checking over their weapons, pacing, or trying to talk to each other.

Once the diversionary force was prepared, one of the troopers there launched a green flare high into the sky where it went up with a bang of green light. The Turians saw it and the subsequent large number of Sith Troopers that were now revealing themselves from their hiding places. The large amount of Sith Troopers that were now beginning their attack were on the far left side of the Turian defense while the smaller group was on the far right.

The Turians were easily panicked by the large assault force that was now threatening to overwhelm their right flank and they quickly tried to pull all of their defenders onto covering their right. This left their left (Imperial right) open to the Sith Commando and his squad.

"Come on, move out!" the Sith Commando gave his order as his squad now rushed up the abandoned left flank of the Turians. Climbing up the mountain of rubble that had been a part of the wall proved to be more trouble than it was worth. The Turians had taken to blasting away at the initial parts of the mountain, creating less than ideal climbing spaces. This did use up some valuable ammo, but it was well worth it as the Imperials on all sides were having trouble climbing up the rubble pile and assaulting the Turians directly.

From what the Sith Commando and his squad were slowly starting to hear, things weren't going good for the assaulting Imperials. After the initial attack, there had been a large number of battlecrys and the sound of boots hitting the ground as the Imperials started their assault.

Now, those sounds were being replaced by repeated gunfire, mortar shells firing and landing, and the screams of people dying. Since most of those screams didn't have that grating sound that a Turian has when it speaks, it was sadly assumed by the squad that their fellow soldiers were the ones screaming.

The squad eventually managed to get up onto the first trench that had been dug out by the Turians in the rubble. The Turians had dug a series of trenches, with the final trench being the peak of the rubble mountain where the Gatling gun was mounted.

They continued climbing to where the Gatling gun was, making sure that the Turians at the top of the rubble didn't see them climbing up. However, as the team continued climbing, they nearly came to ruin when a Turian was seen in one of the upper trenches walking around. It seemed like he was just doing patrols around the now defenseless parts of the trenches, but it was obvious he didn't believe that anyone would be here as he just grumbled and walked on, not even looking down where he would have seen the approaching Sith Troopers.

One of them breathed out a sigh of relief once the Turian was gone. They all increased their pace to a frenzied state, as if the devils of hell were after them. Eventually, once they got close enough to the top of the rubble mountain, the Sith Commando let his men have a short rest before beginning their attack.

First, the Sith Commando sent up a grenade into the Turian's position. They were all too busy shooting at the rest the Imperial attacking force to notice the grenade. It was only when the explosion went off and the Turians at the top of the rubble pile were thrown down by explosion that the rest of them noticed the grenade, which at this point was redundant.

With the Gatling gun defense taken out, the Turians held much less firepower than before, and now, they had also lost several of their number that had held the highest points of defense, which were now occupied by the flanking Imperials.

"Yeehaw! Let's blow the shit out of these raptors!" one of the Sith Troopers said before firing his rocket launcher at one of the lower trenches and taking out a group of Turians there. Other Sith troopers had taken firing at those closest to their position, taking out many of the Turians at the top.

With the Turian's focus now split between defending their fronts and backs, the outnumbered defenders quickly started to fall apart as they were picked off one by one. Those who were able to fled as they realized the situation was hopeless.

The Imperials wasted no time in charging through the breach and into the city, trying to insure that the breach they took would remain theirs. It wasn't long before the superior numbers of the Imperials was countered however, as street fighting took the Imperials down to small groups where they were more vulnerable to the Turians, whose knowledge of the city streets gave them the advantage.

Still, it wasn't long before the Imperials were pushing the far more tired and demoralized Turians back, and several large explosions over to the west signaled that the shield generators were down and the Imperials had pushed through there.

* * *

**Location: Turian Government Bureau **

"Sir, the 8th battalion has been wiped out!"

"The 54th Special Squad is requesting reinforcements!"

"Our shield defenses along the western front have fallen!"

"We've lost contact with commander Gravalian!"

"Our forces are being overwhelmed, what do we do?"

These were some of the many panicked cries that the Turian console men gave as the situation deteriorated. Imperial forces were now pushing in from all sides, and Turian defenses were falling apart. Reports were coming in from everywhere about continuous loss of life and ground to enemy forces.

The remaining Turian Hierarchy members were wringing their hands nervously, pacing, or doing anything they could to relive their stress while they tried to think of a way out of the situation that they were currently stuck in. While some could only think of cursing Altimus for weakening of their military at a time like this, others were trying to dish out orders to their surviving forces in an attempt to push back the invaders.

"Damn it, we just don't have the strength to resist for much longer!" one of the Turian Hierarchy members said.

Another member then made a suggestion that shocked everyone down to their core, mainly because it was the suggestion most wanted to follow.

"_Why don't we just evacuate ourselves while our remaining military forces cover our retreat._" one of the members whispered.

"_Are you mad, we can't just abandon our people! We would lose all credibility anyways if the that every got out to the public._" another Hierarchy member argued.

"_We've already lost. All that staying here serves is to provide moral support. If we escape however, then we can raise another army to take back our home and eventually free our people._" the first one responded.

"_And just how do you plan on escaping anyways? Even if we could get to a ship, where would we go? And also, in case you haven't noticed, the entire planet is surrounded by the enemy fleet! How the fuck are we supposed to get pass them?_"

_"Don't worry, my ship is equipped with a cloaking device. We'll be able to sail right through the blockade and they won't even know._"

The other Hierarchy member was slowly starting to come around as he did want to escape, but was afraid of what people would think of him for abandoning the battle.

"_B-But won't people call us cowards for abandoning the battle. I don't think that anyone would even listen to us if they knew we ran away like cowards!_"

"_Haven't you ever heard of a tactical retreat? Besides, everyone's going to hate humans ruling over them more than they will us over abandoning the battle. In fact, they're likely going to be glad that at least some leadership managed to survive and make a focal point for them to rally behind. Besides, do you want to die? Cause you seem to try to find a way to keep staying each time I offer you a way out!_"

"_Ergh, very well then; but aren't we going to bring any of the others along?_"

"_Of course we'll try to save as many as we can, but we are pressed for time, and the sooner we leave the better. So don't bother convincing any of those military types, they'll just get angry and moan about loyalty to the troops and duties of the commander._" the Hierarchy member mocked.

Both of them then went around trying to secretly convince as many Hierarchy members as possible to leave with them. They generally went after the ones with fear on their faces or those who showed other obvious signs of wanting to abandon the battlefield.

Once they felt that enough members had been gathered, they began leaving down a relatively unknown passageway that was originally thought to have lead to some minor storage room. Well, technically it was a storage room, but it just stored their escape ship.

Once everyone had boarded, and the preparations for takeoff were made, the ship rose out of its underground storage room and lifted off, much to the shock of the invading Imperial soldiers who tried their hardest to shoot it down. As the ship took off for the vast reaches of outer space, one of the Hierarchy members said to the pilot "Hey, take us to these coordinates." and handed the pilot a data chip which contained said coordinates to an outlying planet in the former territory of the Free Kingdoms.

"Alright then, but you better tell everyone to strap in. We're about to pass by the fleet soon and we may have to take some moves that'll make you sick to your stomach." the pilot responded.

As the Hierarchy member went back to inform his comrades, the pilot activated the cloaking device, which wasn't really as much of a cloaking device like the Hierarchy member had bragged it to be but rather a stealth system that pretty much just decreased heat emissions of the ship. It still kept the ship very visible, but now thermal scanners and other such devices were useless. With the heat emissions being lowered, the pilot went and pressed several other buttons activating a communicator which brought up a hologram of the very person who the Hierarchy members were fleeing from in the first place, Xion.

"My lord, I have the Hierarchy members aboard and I've already activated the heat emission dampeners. We'll be approaching your fleets soon. Do you want me to land the ship in one yours and turn the members over?" the Turian asked with what could be described as a smirk.

"No, instead head over to these coordinates. Don't worry about the fleet, I've already told them all to just shoot in your general direction. They'll take careful aim to ensure you're not hit." Xion replied while sending over the coordinates to the pilot..

"Yes my lord." the Turian pilot responded.

* * *

Xion smiled under his mask as he closed the transmission. He had paid off several Turian mercs and had given them the mission of going around and taking the place of the pilots of the various transports that the Hierarchy members used. That way, when several of the Hierarchy members would inevitably flee the battle, they would fall right under his control. The best part was that there was no way for them to know that several Turians were going to betray them. They would still be laboring under the illusion that most of their kind worked for the benefit of the state as a whole. While one could say this of Turians in a normal and peaceful world, and even in times of hardship where they had to sacrifice a great many things for the state, there was simply no way that every member would be this sacrificial of themselves in such a time of crisis as when over 90% of their military force had been wiped out in the Altarian Nebula.

That, and money always happened to sway even the most stalwart of hearts.

Focusing his attention back to the battle, it was obvious that the Turian defenses were falling apart all around them. Imperial troops were overrunning them at every defensive position they set up, and anything heavier than a Turian with a machine gun ended up being destroyed by Xion. He used the Force like a weapon of mass destruction, pulling artillery shells out of the air and sending them right back to their owners, crushing defense turrets, bringing down walls atop their defenders, choking the life out of enemy commanders, blasting back tanks, and stopping bullets in midair.

Most enemy troops were losing the will to fight at seeing how easily one man managed to crush their defenses. Most of the Turian troops that were still alive were starting to surrender upon seeing the devastation Xion alone caused to their forces. Large groups of Turians were now being rounded up as more and more of them put down their weapons and began to surrender. Whatever little fighting was still going on was also starting to come to a close as those who continued to resist were killed by the overwhelming force of Xion's troops.

Many Turians had bitter looks on their faces as they saw their last bastion of resistance crumble beneath the might of the Empire. Yet there was nothing they could do. Further resistance would only lead to their destruction in the end and with the grand majority of their military might exhausted from Altimus' disaster it was a foregone conclusion that the Sith Empire would win.

'And now, the process of rebuilding starts.' Xion thought to himself.

* * *

**Timeframe: Back three months**

Varison's ship came out of hyperspace over the planet that held Ralaba's safe house. The planet itself seemed to be sparsely populated with island landmasses all over its surface, and as the ship descended it was obvious that it was a tropical planet. The safe house was located near the beach of a larger island. As far as safe houses went it was pretty noticeable, being a mansion and all, and it was located in a pretty open area with a beachhead that was quite easy to access from the sea. Its safety instead came from the fact that the planet wasn't really marked on Sethelonian maps. Even Xion's maps didn't have this planet marked as Revan had never discovered it.

The mansion however wasn't vulnerable as it looked by any means. It contained a very powerful planetary shield generator that could defend the place from orbital bombardment. Now, when one thought about such a large, powerful, and expensive type of shielding being used to defend one mansion, one might think that that was going overboard. But, the shield was actually a very cheap and easy to set up model. The reason for this was that the shield, while very powerful, was only going to last for a few hours, and most planetary bombardments when on for up to a day or two depending on the size of the planet or amount of ships available to a fleet. The point of this shield was to aid in escape. It would last long enough for a person or group of people to be able to get to their escape ship and blast off.

The other defenses included a ray shielding defense system that once activated would coat all of the mansion openings in ray shields, a point laser defense system against missiles, and it also came with an underground hanger bay for the secret storing of ships.

Once the Bartel-Class ship had landed, Thrace, Varison, and Bethany had gotten out and entered the mansion. This was where they were greeted to a rather unpleasant surprise.

A group of armed men were in the entrance hall of the mansion, and all of them looked to be highly trained soldiers that were armed to the bone with blasters, thermal detonators, rocket launchers, shotguns, vibroblades, and many more weapons.

"Ah, welcome my dear. It is nice to finally meet you." A man with a heavy grey mustache and beard said with an accent.

Varison and Thrace immediately stood in front of Bethany and raised their blaster lances in response. The soldiers in the room just laughed at them, confusing the hell out of Varison, Thrace, and Bethany who were at this point very stressed out due to the fact of running for their lives for the last few weeks.

Being constantly stressed out about how you were going to survive an entire empire full of angry people coming after you and your head generally had a negative effect on one's tolerance. This was made evident if Thrace's outburst was any indication.

"What the fuck are you people laughing at us for! We might be outnumbered, but we've managed to survive against worse odds than a bunch of over compensating assholes!" Varison looked at Thrace with look that clearly said to shut up while the bearded man who had first spoken just laughed harder along with his comrades.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to stress you out. You are right to be suspicious of us, but you needn't have any fear. Your Captain Ralaba contacted me and gave me the coordinates to this place like he did with you. He wanted you guys to have some help in your coming trials, and I don't think help would be unwanted."

Thrace was still distrusting of the new group, but Varison saw an insignia on all of their shoulders.

"No way! You guys are all Grinshi Special Ops. I've heard about you guys. Supposedly you're some of the best forces out there in the Free Kingdoms. But how'd Ralaba manage to contact people like you? And furthermore, how would people in your positions be able to get the chance to come here anyways?" Varison said.

"Ah, so one of you recognizes us. I'm pleased. As for how Ralaba managed to contact us, we have been friends for a very long time and we always like to keep in contact so that we can inform each other of the latest news. As for how we found the time to come here; well…the Grinshi Kingdom is no more! In fact, none of the Free Kingdoms exist anymore! Xion and his Empire have taken that all away from us!" the bearded man said angrily.

"What! He's already conquered the Free Kingdoms!" Thrace said, voicing the shock of Varison and Bethany as well.

"Yes. 1000 years of constant warfare is no good on any nation's health. Combine this with the fact that it was all contained within a relatively small area that was filled with too many contenders…and death really is the only outcome that can occur. And with such a vast amount of death happening in the Free Kingdoms, there was no one left to work on the infrastructure. Basic necessities like food and water became gems that each nation fought over like rabid dogs given steak. Without any stability to be found whatsoever, there was no way for any of the powers to recover their military strength properly. We were all just easy pickings for that Xion and his Empire!" the bearded man said angrily.

All three of them saw the situation as the bearded man described it. Xion had pretty much walked in as an overpowered body builder on a bunch of anorexics and beat the shit out of them.

"Damn it!" Thrace said angrily. He dropped down to the ground and in anger punched it while saying " How can Xion just keep winning? Isn't there anyone out there who can stop him! Or is he truly unbeatable?" Thrace said in a depressed tone.

The bearded man walked over to Thrace who seemed to at least have put aside his suspicion of him and his friends in favor of depression.

"Now look here. It may seem dark right now, but we aren't as hopeless as you might think. There are likely to be many troops within the Free Kingdoms that are angry at their loss. And is still the Turian Hierarchy and Salarian Union to try and reach if we must. Those places have plenty of military strength to take Xion and his forces on. The hardest part would simply be getting them to fight him. So you see, Xion hasn't won as yet. There are still those with the strength to combat him It is just all about finding and uniting them!" the bearded man said.

Thrace's eyes widened at hearing this.

"You're…you're right! We can't just give up because it seems like there is no way to fight him. There are still people out there who can fight him! And they'll want to fight him after hearing about all the crimes he's committed against you Bethany! I swear, I'll keep fighting until I've brought him to justice!" said Thrace,

The bearded man just smiled in seeing Thrace get his enthusiasm back.

Bethany smiled at Thrace, touched by his declaration, but soon turned her attention towards the bearded man and said "Um, e-excuse me, but what might your name be?" Bethany stuttered at first before gaining a bit more confidence, "It seems a bit impolite for us to not know it since you're trying to help."

"Ah, my name is Dorgovitch Reznof. And, while I'm sure it would be lovely to get to know all of you, you'll all probably want to get some sleep. I'm pretty sure that your flight from Xion didn't exactly give you the relaxation that you need. Now come, the rooms are over on the left side of the stairs." Dorgovitch said and pointed to where he referenced.

"You may have first pick of the rooms. My men and I have not yet settled down so do not worry about the room you choose." Dorgovitch explained.

Varison, Thrace, and Bethany all decided to follow Dorgovitch's advice and settle down, exhausted from the physical and emotional tolls of their journey.

* * *

**3 months later**

In the time that would pass Thrace, Bethany, and Varison would come to know the Grinshi Special Ops group very well. Thrace and Varison went out with several of the other members looking for support for a rebellion against Xion. They started by looking in the former areas of the Free Kingdoms. They asked around the black markets and other more criminal places for information on any resistance groups that were still fighting against Xion's forces.

They talked, bartered, threatened, and in a few cases fought in order to find and bring all these resistance groups together. The problem was that the work it was taking to find and get these groups to join was disproportionate to the actual benefits of getting these groups. Most of them were low on everything, from money to quality weapons to even moral.

While they had a little success in the former Free Kingdoms, they had next to nothing in talking with the Salarian Union or Turian Hierarchy. Both it appeared were already planning their own massive military operations, and the contacts Dorgovitch had throughout those places said it would be pointless trying to get any military aid of any kind from either power.

It was depressing to learn that the only powers which stood a chance against Xion didn't want to help and in fact seemed to be gearing up to fight each other if the rumors were true. That was something no one was able to understand. After all, the Hierarchy and Union had lived in peace for many decades, and there had never been any real tensions between the two. Sure they had had their squabbles, but nothing that created any lasting animosity.

So why were they suddenly deciding to attack each other now? It made no sense. Everyone agreed however, that Xion was somehow involved in it. After all, everything was fine before Xion ever showed up. They tried their best to ignore the voices in their heads which told them that things had been bad before Xion showed up.

Meanwhile, Varison, Thrace, and Bethany all received advanced and regular training respectively. Thrace and Varison trained to fight against sword wielding enemies and how to more effectively dodge or use natural covers instead of their shields for defending against blaster bolts. Not only that, but they also trained their stamina and physical prowess to a greater extent as well.

With Bethany, she was being trained in the basics of combat after he wish to become less of a burden on Thrace and Varison. They both quickly denied that she was such, but the evidence wasn't in her favor. She was trained in how to use a stun gun which had a lethal switch just in case, and her body was being put into shape with a small workout course as being a princess didn't make for an ideal image of physical fitness.

She was also trained in nonlethal combat, learning how to stun and distract her opponents rather than outright beat them.

While all of this was going on however, everyone learned of disastrous news at the end of the three months that nearly had them all in tears figuratively speaking.

"_Long live his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Xion! His glorious conquest over the Turian Hierarchy and the Salarian Unions are miracles that have evaded us for so long!_" a news reporter said over the holovid.

_"Don't forget, he also managed this with such a minimal loss of life! And the speed at which he's done it is spectacular! These new conquests have allowed our empire to grow large enough to encompass the entire northwestern galaxy! As of now there are only a few spots down to the south that we don't control. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this is a new era for everyone and that we're so lucky to live in such an amazing time!_" another news reporter said.

Everyone looked with horror at the holovid as they saw Imperial flags flying over the Salarian and Turian capitals and said species both signing and agreeing to treaties of complete and unconditional surrender.

"_And it seems like our emperor is being truly gracious to our defeated compatriots. He's actually giving the peoples of the Union and Hierarchy full Imperial Citizenship with all the rights that come with it!_" the original reporter said.

"_Yeah, well you did hear what he said on that. Full on integration with our conquered foes! It seems our emperor is a supporter of equal rights._" the other one said.

"_Exactly. Now, for more on the situation, please tune in to our 9:00 p.m. broadcast. Thank you for watching!_" and then the news broadcast ended.

"He…he's already taken over the Salarians, and Turians." Thrace said with despair.

"Hmm." Dorgovitch and the other Grinshi Commando's had contemplative looks on their faces.

While Bethany tried to comfort Thrace (honestly, who should be more depressed) Varison said "So, I assume we'll have an easier time now getting Turian and Salarian support?"

"What? What are you saying? Didn't you hear? The Turians and Salarians have been crushed. They surrendered! How can we possibly get support from them now!" Thrace said and stared incredulously at Varsion.

"What he means is that now all of the bureaucracy interfering with their aid is gone now, and that there must still be individual groups of soldiers who are still willing to fight, regardless of the surrenders." Dorgovitch explained.

At seeing Thrace beginning to understand what Varison was implying Dorgovitch went further "You see Thrace, the thing to know is that not everyone follows what their government says. This should be obvious to you if Xion is any indicator. Normal law abiding citizens can disobey any law if it goes against their personal beliefs. When a person feels strongly about something, then they will fight for it no matter what. And something that you must also realize, before Xion invaded them, it wasn't likely that we would get any support from either one of them. Now that he has, it is far more likely that the remnants of the Hierarchy and Union will be willing to give us their support, or at the very least work together."

Thrace grimaced as he began to realize what Varison meant. '_Damn, I really need to start thinking things through_.'

Dorgovitch saw Thrace's anger over his thoughts and spoke again "Thrace, I know that you may be angry over your inability to see past what is in front of you, but don't let it get to you. You are still young, and Varison is much more experienced. What you need is more time and training my boy. Come now, there is still hope for the fight against tyranny. We just need to have some faith and continue fighting." He patted Thrace's back and gave an encouraging smile.

Varison just rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned the kid needed to be given a heavy dose of reality if everything else that had happened to them so far wasn't eye opening enough. Tell it to him like it was and fix it, that's all there was to it.

"Well, now that the pep talk is over, I believe we have work to do. Like finding out where the Turian and Salarian resistance groups would be." Varison said.

"Yes, that would be a good goal to st-" Dorgovitch was interrupted by another Grinshi Commando who rushed in and began alerting them to a new problem.

"Sir, the scanners have picked up an oncoming ship! Strangely enough, it has Turian designs!" the Commando spoke.

"What! A Turian ship! Well how did they find this planet? I thought it was supposed to be only on the Sethelonian charts!" Dorgovitch exclaimed.

"We're not sure sir! What should we do?

"Give it a signal to land over next to us. A ship of that size can't have more than a dozen or so people at best. If they are actual Turians, then we may just have some allies, and if they are enemies, then we should have the strength to fight them off easily." Dorgovitch reasoned.

"Yes sir!" the Commando began to send out a signal for the Turian ship to follow.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Turian ship.

"What the hell! This isn't the place we asked you to go to! What's going on?" one of the Hierarchy members asked.

"Well, it seems there was a malfunction in the hyperdrive system. It forced us to come out of hyperspace early and I'll have to land to make repairs, or do you want to die in between dimensions, because that seems very bleak to me." the pilot retorted.

"Fine, you've made your point." the member conceded.

"Well, would you look at that, it seems that there's already someone else on the planet." the pilot commented.

"What!" several of the passengers said alarmed at this, not knowing if the inhabitants were friend or foe.

"Yeah, and they seem to have picked us up already, if the blatant way they're signaling us is any clue." the pilot said. "Well, might as well land next to 'em."

This drew even greater alarm from the passengers who wondered if their pilot had finally blown a gasket.

"No, but if you think about, it, they wouldn't be signaling to us if they didn't want us to land here, and if it's a trap like you're all worried about, then it really won't matter if they're enemies, because they already know we're here and they'll likely find us no matter where we hide. Plus we still need to make repairs anyways, so we won't be going anywhere for a while." the pilot reasoned out before turning the ship over to where the signal was coming from.

Upon landing, the ship's inhabitants were greeted with several humans dressed up in combat gear and armed to the bone with various weapons.

"So, it seems our hopes have come true. Come with us, there's a lot that we have to start talking about, and don't worry, we're not here to harm you, at least, not anymore." one of the Grinshi Commando's said to the Turians.

* * *

**Location: Planet Coranda, Imperial City**

Kaemon sat meditating, trying to become one with the Force.

Breathing in deeply, and then expelling the air, Kaemon calmed himself as he felt the power of the Force flow through him, enveloping him, and become one with him. He was now but a mere extension of the Force, letting it guide his mind. He could feel all of the life forms that were close to him. From the people outside the room to even those wandering in the renovated city, he could feel the differences in the energy that was within each person. From the amount, to how it felt, to even where it was aligned.

These meditations of his served to further increase Kaemon's own capacity to use the Force, and they had the added bonus of making him feel very calm and relaxed. But, it seemed he would not be able to finish his meditations, as someone had the forethought to interrupt him.

"_Sooooooooooo_" a voice drawled out "you're the brat that the big bad's been training eh?" Koga Kuchiki said.

"You mean Lord Xion, right?" Kaemon stated, annoyed at the disrespect that was being shown to his master. Especially after all the effort Xion had taken to releasing that ungrateful ass!

"Oh t_o_mato, tom_a_to, I really don't care. So kid, what exactly do you think your future holds?" Koga asked.

"What are you talking about?" Kaemon asked back, confused.

Smirking, Koga said "Well, I mean once you've outlived your usefulness, you're just going to be thrown off to the side, so you'd better start planning." Koga taunted.

"What! You think that Lord Xion would just abandon me like you're superiors did to you. You're a fool then. Xion is different! He raised me up from the filth and made me strong, just like he's doing with the Empire! I don't know your plan here, but if you think you can just insult Lord Xion, then you'd better start rethinking your mindset pretty soon!" Kaemon threatened as he brought out his lightsaber, the red beam igniting as Kaemon made a stance; prepared to do battle.

"Hahahahahahahaa!" Koga laughed. "Do you honestly believe I'd fight a runt like you? I'd be a waste of energy and time. And besides, all I'm trying to do is give you good advice kid."

Koga then suddenly appeared right next to Kaemon, his speed having been too fast to follow for Kaemon's inexperienced senses. "I suggest you remember this for the rest of your life. You can't trust anyone out there. Somehow, in some way, the people you serve are just trying think of ways to get rid of you. It's a fact. All you are is just and expendable tool that's meant to serve a singular purpose. And once that purpose has been fulfilled, it's bye bye shrimpy!" Koga started laughing wildly at the end of his lecture.

"Bah! Just because you've been betrayed doesn't mean that Xion will do that to me! He wouldn't have bothered even taking me in if he was that kind of person!" Kaemon said. "Lord Xion is great man! He's far better than those old Sethelonian coots you worked for!"

"_Sure he is_. And I bet he's adopted a million puppies, cured all diseases, and brought peace to the galaxy. Please, he's just a dictator who stole power from older dictators. There's nothing good about him. I just can't wait for that little bubble of yours to pop when you figure that out!" With a final snort, Koga left Kaemon alone again.

'_Aw what does he know. He's just trying to fill me with doubts! As long as I stay with Lord Xion I'll always be needed! Unlike that old sack of bones._' Kaemon thought to himself as he tried to go back to his meditations.

'_Heh, what a moronic kid. I don't really care whether he believes me or not. But it sure is fun messing with him and watching him get all riled up! Who knows, maybe if I screw him up enough he'll get killed! That would be funny as hell!_' Koga thought to himself as he smirked, thinking of various other methods that he could use to cause chaos.

After all, anything he could due to make the lives of his superiors miserable was just one more obligation he had to do, right?

Koga's maddened laughter answered that question.

* * *

The old Turian sighed as he heard the door to his home being opened from the outside.

"He's in here sir!" he looked and saw a Sith Trooper say.

Then, the old Turian saw the very figure that was responsible for the conquest of his people walk into his own home. It was a modest home too. It contained an average sized living room, a couch, chair, coffee table, holoscreen, small kitchen and dining room, a single restroom and a bedroom. It was more like an apartment than a house, but that worked out just fine for this old Turian.

"So, the great Emperor Xion comes to visit this old Turian. I wonder, what is it that you need from me that you don't already have?"

"You." Xion said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I've heard about your exploits retired General Sergas. You once put a stop to the Revolution Crisis twenty years ago. Not only did you put as stop to it, you managed to do so in such a way that the rebels were completely and utterly destroyed without a single loss of life to your own forces. Even to this very day you are still regarded as a hero to your people, retired as you are."

"Heh. Those days are long gone. Don't believe otherwise. I served my nation loyally, I did my duty, and look at me now. Alone. My family is all gone. Kids died in Altimus' Disaster. Wife left me for someone else. Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, all of them are dead now. I'm a broken man. I've seen too much and lived too long. Now, I'm just calmly waiting for death to come and take me."

"So essentially life's got you beat and you're just going to sit there and take it all?" Xion mocked.

"Heh. Well it isn't as if it matters whether I do anything or not. You said it yourself. I'm still seen as a hero. I don't need to do anything else."

"Yes, because I'm so sure that sitting here, lazing around is so fulfilling. I mean, it isn't as if you don't have important affairs to attend to. Oh wait, it is like that. Tell me, how does it feel, knowing that right now you're essentially doing nothing but wasting air by being alive?"

The old Turian leapt up to his feet in anger while two Sith Troopers trained their guns on him.

"You want me to join you and you insult me like that! Well like hell I will now!" Sergas said in anger.

"Oh? But what I'm saying is true. After all, I bet you feel this way too. Sitting there, alone, doing absolutely nothing. Maybe at first, your retirement was appealing to you, preferred even. With all the family that you had, and your great reputation, you'd always have someone to spend time with you. But now that they're gone, you're all alone. And you feel miserable. You want something to distract you from that pain of being alone. You want to feel useful again. You want to feel like you belong. I can offer you that. Join me, and you'll belong to something again. The old Turian Hierarchy is dead. Giving it your loyalty serves you no purpose anymore. But with me I can make you a hero again."

And here, Xion took off his Mandalorian mask, revealing the face of a blonde haired man with whiskers on his face who had to have been in early twenties. Sergas, was quite startled to see that the conquer of his people was nothing more than a boy who had only just reached the dawning age of his adulthood. What Xion did next surprised him even more. His face becoming sympathetic, Xion grabbed Sergas by the shoulders and said "I know what it's like to be alone. To have no one to care for you. To believe that you suffer for a no good and unjust reason. I know that pain well."

Sergas's eyes widened, his mandibles twitched, and he swallowed, his nerves threatening to overwhelm him as he looked into Xion's eyes. Because in his eyes, Sergas could see all the emotions that he felt every day of his life. Those eyes, which seemed to be looking into his very soul, told Sergas that he wasn't alone.

Meanwhile, the two Sith Troopers were inwardly crying their hearts out at Xion's heartfelt speech. '_Emperor Xion!_' both troopers said in their minds as their sympathy went out to their master.

"Of course, you don't have to join me right away." Xion said, all traces of sympathy disappearing and his face becoming impassive again.

Putting on the mask, Xion continued "You don't have to join me at all. The choice is entirely up to you. But remember this. I'm offering you the chance to escape your decrepit lifestyle, and you won't get many more offers like mine. And all I'm asking for you to do in return is lead my armies. Think about it. I'll expect an answer eventually."

* * *

And so, with the final defeat of the Turians, Xion and his empire had just suddenly emerged as the supreme rulers of the northwestern part of the galaxy. It was a tremendous victory. Now that the Sith Empire ruled over the entire area however, a new challenge had just come along. Trying to actually get all of the conquered people to work together.

This had started Xion's Integration Process. One of the first things that had been done after the Turians had officially surrendered was for the Imperial Military to completely absorb both the Turian and Salarian Militaries, or rather what was left of them.

All surviving soldiers were to still keep their jobs, but now they were to swear allegiance to a new master. Many honestly felt disgusted with themselves for being forced into working for the very people who had just conquered them. Others were eager to please their new masters and rise up the ladder in rank and prestige.

And others still were either grateful to finally have someone getting their lives back on track or were completely indifferent to the situation.

These people were generally the civilians whose misery had started with Altimus' Disaster in the Altarian Nebula. As the Sith Empire was adopting a policy of trying to integrate the conquered peoples into the Empire, they were going with earning goodwill and rebuilding that which had been destroyed in their invasion and getting lives back on track.

Easier said than done, but at least there was a attempt being made, which is easily more than what any other Sith Empire ever tried to accomplish.

In order to make things easier for everyone, it had been decided that those who were in positions of power such as governors and the like would be allowed to keep their positions so long as they had proven themselves competent in the past and swore allegiance to the Empire.

One of the best benefits for being benevolent conquers was a far more compliant populace. Xion wasn't foolish enough to believe that total benevolence or total ruthlessness would get rid of all the dissenters. But benevolence did have the benefits of weakening the rebellious factions support bases as they would have less to criticize the Empire with unlike ruthlessness which would only give them more reasons to rebel.

Another part of the Integration Process had been to grant all Salarians and Turians Imperial Citizenship status, thus ensuring that they got the same rights as the former Sethelonian people.

It was going to be a lot of work, but getting the entire Empire unified would, in Xion's eyes, do wonders for everybody.

* * *

As Xion walked around the massive lab, he had to admit, he was impressed. It seems the Salarians spared no expense when it came to their Research and Development Departments. Then again, Xion mused, when you were a race that depended on it for supremacy, then it was no wonder you'd pour everything you had into it.

The lab Xion was currently in was one of the best. It had massive computers with vast processing power, hundreds of different tools and supplies stocked in order to meet various demands, warded off testing rooms for ensuring that certain more dangerous projects didn't threaten those who made them, and state of the art security systems for keeping the many works in progress a secret.

Thank goodness this lab had remained unscathed during the short conquest of the Salarians. It really helped that they had been smart enough to realize as soon as the Sith Empire had invaded them that they were no match and had surrendered as quickly as possible, unlike the Turians.

The lab was known as the Kaliris Institute. Despite what one would think, it wasn't all that well known to the population at large. It was a totally secret government sponsored lab that dealt with top military research projects ranging from experimental and illegal weaponry to biochemical warfare products to new ship designs to even the occasional limerick.

The only people allowed to work here were all at the top of their respective fields of work. No less could be accepted. They had all made great contributions long before they ever were accepted to work in Kaliris. Once here however, any work they did was kept top secret so no one worked here for the fame. Of course, the pay and other benefits were quite excellent, more than enough to keep every person employed comfortable for the rest of their lives even if they quit.

Xion had learned of this place from the surrendering Union members who tried to keep things a secret. Of course, a bit of secret mental probing here or there had quickly let him look at their unguarded minds and take the info he wanted. Xion had afterwards had those members put to death while putting up the official story that they had gone into a quiet retirement.

As for the reason Xion was here, he wished to meet up with the head of the Kaliris Institute. The head was a Salarian of about 5ft in height, had blue-tinted skin, and had a burn mark running diagonally from the right side of his face. The Salarian's name was Heleon Torris.

As Xion walked up to him, Heleon turned around from watching a group working on another project to address his new boss.

"Ah! Sir! Didn't know you were coming! Would have given warmer welcome otherwise." Heleon says at a fast pace, making it seem like he's in a rush.

"I'm not here for pleasantries, so it works both ways for us. You don't have to lie to my face, and I won't need to kill for it. Good, is it not?"

"Quite." Heleon says, giving a nervous gulp at that fact.

"Anyways, I'm here to inform you about the recent changes that are going to be coming about soon." Xion said.

"Oh." Heleon said, not liking the sound of that. Then again, scientists rarely did like outside interference with their work.

"Yes, you see, I'll be reorganizing this Institute and others like it into the Imperial Research and Development Division, or the IRDD for short. The remnants of your STG will be taken apart as well and melded into Imperial Intelligence as well, just to let you know." Xion informed.

'Well, not as bad as originally thought.' Heleon thought to himself.

"So, work here will go uninterrupted?" Heleon queried.

"Of course. The results that the Kaliris Institute provides are invaluable, and I see no reason to interfere with that." Xion answered.

"Excellent news then." Heleon seemed happy to say. Then, he seemed to get nervous again and started wringing his hands together, his mouth forming into a sort of grimace as though he were arguing with himself.

"Is there something you wished to ask me?" Xion said, doing the work for Heleon.

"Ah, yes. You see, I've been working on a big project, revolutionary in fact. Only, nobody else believes so."

"Oh, really? Well, what is it."

"Come with me. I'll show you."

Heleon then lead Xion away from the main hall where most of the work was being done and took him down several floors with an elevator. Arriving on intended floor, Heleon guides them both to a massive door.

Pressing down the necessary numbers and unlocking the door, Xion was greeted to an impressive sight.

As the lights illuminated the object, Xion saw that it was a large humanoid machine. It had green armor plating going on in several places, a rounded head with a visor that was segmented by strips of metal, a rectangular right shoulder and a rounded left, and several tubes going all around it.

It still looked incomplete as there was armor missing around the right arm and left leg, not to mention the torso was partially uncovered as well.

"What…what is this?" Xion asked, somewhat confused by the massive machine in front of him.

"Ah. Well, you see. To start with, have always been concerned with droid capabilities. Always too limited, never able to think outside box. Security mechs, service drones, doesn't matter what they were built for or why. Can't ever work outside of parameters made for them. Creating an A.I. also possess' its own inherit risks. Sure you know of them, won't bore with details. Any who, I thought what if I gave the benefits of droids to organic beings. Afterwards, I decided to hypothesis various methods of doing so. Ruled out cyborgs for now. Still feel like they're more machine than organic. Then thought of improved armor systems equipped with multitude of weapons. Scraped that idea too. Thought to myself 'anyone can just put more weapons on a suit of metal, too easy'. But then I thought, make the suit bigger. Then I began thinking instead of suit, what about body, with someone to pilot that body. Thus, the Mobile Suit was born." Heleon explained.

"Mobile Suit?" Said Xion.

"Yes, from my original idea to make a suit of armor which evolved into this concept." said Heleon.

"And why does it look incomplete?"

"Ah, that would be because of funding. Superiors thought it pointless to make a larger droid piloted by organic. Saw it as redundant considering the purpose of droids. Personally, think it would help revolutionize the military. Again, superiors didn't agree." Heleon says this last part bitterly.

"So, does this unit have a specific name or is it just Mobile Suit for now?" asked Xion.

"Yes. It's called the MS-05A Zaku I Early Type. Am hopeful that one day I'll be able to make more, so early it is for now. Plus, still many kinks in it to work out, excluding it not being finished yet."

"Does it have any battle data for me to go off of?"

"Oh yes, plenty. Did many tests against tanks and other vehicles. Live ammunition used too. Needless to say, bit too risky sometimes. But data gathered as realistic as possible. Save if actual enemy was trying to kill me."

Xion took hold of the results that Heleon handed over to him, and needless to say, he was quite impressed. It seemed that this Zaku was very effective against ground based vehicles. It was successful 80% of the time. Against air based ones it had less success due to their higher mobility and the Zaku's still uncompleted state, but still, a 60% success rate wasn't bad considering.

"Well Heleon; you've managed to impress me with this. So I'm going to give the go ahead and get you the funding for this project."

"T-Thank you!" Heleon's composure broke for a second before he controlled himself. "Don't worry. Won't waste opportunity given to me!"

"I know you won't."

* * *

**Timeframe: 5 months ahead**

"_As per Emperor Xion's orders, the Imperial Rearmament Plan is going underway. Right now, even as we speak, soldiers are trading in their old supplies for brand new equipment. Archaic vehicles are being retired, and old naval vessels are being torn down for scrap._" an anchorman on the Holonews Network said.

"_That's right. New technologies are being constantly introduced, helping to improve the lives of not only the military but of all of our citizens. Advances in medicine and agriculture have insured that better survival rates and surpluses in food supplies. Improvements are being made to infrastructure all around the Empire, and the recently admitted Turian and Salarian territories are being rebuilt at a pace faster than what analysts initially assumed. The wonders the Empire is performing for us continue to move us forward from the old and bygone days of the failed Sethelonian regime._" an anchorwoman said this time.

"_Quite correct. Why one of the easiest examples to see are the new uniforms of our soldiers._" the anchorman said before an image appeared of Sith Troopers putting on and wearing new armor, finally changing out the style of armor worn from the days of Revan's Sith Empire. Now the armor was the same kind as that used by the Resurgent Sith Empire. Thus, it was black in color with red on the knee and shoulder guards and possessed a helmet that was influenced somewhat by Mandalorian design. The armor even possessed the symbol of the Sith Empire on the forehead of the helmet and the shoulder guards.

"Damn." Thrace cursed under his breath as he looked at what the Holonews was reporting. He, and the rest of their group were currently watching as just about everything within the old Sethelonian Kingdom was being changed to fit the new ideals and doctrine of the Sith Empire. It was a painful change to say the least. Everything that they had ever known and loved, from the time they were young and saw everything as new and exciting to right now, was being torn down and replaced with this cold hard visage of the Sith Empire.

Of course, even Thrace was forced to admit that what was going on seemed to benefit a lot of people, if the many news reports were to be believed.

But even so, it still hurt him, and Bethany to for that matter, to see everything he knew growing up change. Especially since it was all due to the actions of the very man who even now was out for Bethany's head **(2)**.

"Wait a sec, look at the screen!" one of the Grinshi Commando's called out.

Everyone, whose attention had been wandering due to their own thoughts brought their focus back to the screen as live footage was now being shown of the Turian Dockyards over their homeworld of Palaven.

"What the hell does Xion think he's doing?" a Turian said as they watched dozens of warships entering the docks.

"_As you can see here, the old vessels of the Imperial Navy are all heading towards the Turian homeworld of Palaven where they will be decommissioned at the massive dockyards over the planet._" the anchorwoman said.

"_Yes. These vessels have served us well in the centuries that they've been in service. But there just comes a time when you have to say 'out with the old and in with the new'. Though we don't know what that new will be, rest assured that it'll be a powerful replacement of our old Navy._"

As the holonews began to move off onto other subjects, the rebel group became a furious hive of conversation as everyone began to wonder what was going on.

An orange tinted Salarian with one horn only by the name of Moltron spoke up above the rest "I think it's possible that with his conquest of our systems, Xion has grown overconfident. He now no longer believes that there is any threat to his rule save for a few pockets of isolated resistance cells. It's obvious that he doesn't know about us or the rebellion we've been forming."

Ever since the Turian Hierarchy members had landed on the planet and met up with the resistance group, they'd put in a huge amount of effort into contacting their old forces for support and members. They'd found many Turians, even those not a part of the military, who were willing to join up and bring down Xion. It wasn't as many as they had hoped, but it was still a huge booster for the group.

Another stroke of fortune happened for them when members of the old STG had managed to find them out, having heard the rumors about their resistance group and following as many clues as they possibly could until they found them. They had summarily joined up and added their invaluable skills in infiltration, espionage, tracking, hacking, and so much more.

Since then, their group had gone from just a measly few hundred, to a small army with several thousand members. Most were Turian and Salarian, the Free Kingdoms areas not having many resistance members to begin with and no one in the Sethelonian areas would even think about, let alone want to help them out.

"Hm, a good possibility." Dorgovitch said.

"Xion isn't a fool. There has to be a reason he's doing this. Isn't it a bit too brazen for him to practically ditch every ship in his entire navy all at once and then show the very location that he'll be doing so." Varison tried to point out.

"Not if he believes he's won. So far there hasn't been a single threat to him ever since he's conquered Turian and Salarian space. We're easily the largest resistance group out there and all we've done so far is recruit ourselves and try to fortify our position here. There's no reason for him to even expect any type of threat to his rule at this stage." Moltron said.

"Xion isn't a fool. A fool could have conquered the entire Sethelonian Kingdom with such ease." Varison reasoned.

Moltron gave a derisive snort at this and said "No offense, but a fool actually could have conquered your Sethelonian Kingdom. Our STG only kept a light watch on your people, but even from that we were able to gather that your military was inept, your economy in shambles, and that there was no competent leader whatsoever. It was no wonder that Xion was able to take over so easily. Your people must have been furious with the Royalty. We never kept that much of a watch so when Xion did take over we didn't really know, or care about it. Then came that complete screw up in the Altarian Nebula and then Xion's forces just overwhelmed us with their superior numbers. Honestly, I bet you anything that that's the only reason he even won against us. Much less the Turians who actually had a competent military before that disaster."

Thrace and Varison grit their teeth at that insult to their Kingdom, but conceded the point. The Royals had been awful rulers in their last days, and their only decent member was with them now. And though both were loath to admit it, Bethany really wasn't cut out for any of the situations she had been put into so far. They were trying to get her up to par, but by her very nature she was against violence. And in this galaxy, that was very liable to get you killed.

Yet, Bethany had still allowed herself to become a sort of symbol to rally behind. She was being used by their recruiters as a tragic figure who had lost her rightful place of kind and just rule to a complete monster of a tyrant. The sympathy factor, as well as the fact that she was a blatant sign of Xion's failure to destroy the Sethelonian Royalty had really helped in gathering support. Many of those who hated Xion were more than willing to join up with a symbol that literally said 'FUCK YOU' right to Xion's face by merely existing.

Her willingness to be used as a symbol came from the fact that she wanted to help, but knew that she wasn't much of a leader.

"Be that as it may, underestimating Xion may not be such a good idea." Varison tried to warn them.

"Yes, we must proceed with caution. But I don't think we should just ignore what Xion is doing either. We have a glorious opportunity here. Xion is practically throwing away his entire fleet. For newer ships maybe, but still. The rate at which he is getting rid of them is astronomical. It would simply be a shame to waste it. I say, we take this opportunity." Dorgovitch reasoned.

"Oh, and what do you have in mind?" another Turian asked.

"Simple. Lets steal every ship we can find there." Dorgovitch suggested.

* * *

**Location: Rakata Prime, Star Forge**

"_Magnificent_" Xion breathed out as he stared at the design schematics for the newest ships that would make up the Imperial Armada.

"Hope so. Put some of my best work into it." Heleon said.

"These new ships trump our old ones by light years!" Thrawn said amazed as he looked at the schematics as well.

"Yes. Helps that your I.I. has been continuously sending in new tech for me to study over and use. Where does it all come from again?" Heleon asked.

"The Galactic Republic. It is across the Hyperspace Disturbance Line. It's about 4,000 years more advanced in technology than we are. My Imperial Intelligence agents have been scouring the Republic for just about every good bit of tech they can find and then send it back to us." Xion had sent the members of Imperial Intelligence to spy on the Galactic Republic from the moment he made the organization.

HK-47 gave Xion periodic updates about what the members were doing, and constant complaints that he didn't get to kill enough things.

The I.I. agents themselves ended up having a pretty easy task as they went about infiltrating the Galactic Republic. Their hunts for advanced tech to send back to the Empire pretty much just amounted to getting the common tech that could be found everywhere and sending that back. Since they were just taking what was considered easily accessible to the rest of the public, with only a few cases of some really advanced tech, no one even realized that they existed.

"Well, with their help. I was able to design these ships. As you can see, based them off of former Sethelonian designs. Compared with Turian and Salarian designs. Sethelonian wedge shape considered superior. Allows for full frontal assault and gives decent side coverage too. The largest ship is one of the first of the new line of what I call the Annihilator-Class Star Destroyer **(3)**. " Heleon said.

"Star Destroyer. Interesting name. Why give it that?" asked Thrawn.

"Simple. Sounds intimidating." Heleon said.

"Well, can't argue with that logic." Thrawn responded. Whether it was a compliment or not was entirely up for debate.

"The Annihilator-Class is the largest and most powerful of the new ships. 2000 meters in length, possesses one of the fastest hyperdrive cores available, and has 16 main twin heavy turbolaser batteries, four on each side on top and bottom, along with various other medium turbolaser, laser cannon, anti-fighter batteries, missile tube, and proton torpedo tubes. Shield generators are also some of the best, the command bridge being especially well protected. This is a ship that's been designed to fight other ships, hold its own, and take the battle to them. Also possesses 3 hanger bays, one on each side and another main one on the underside of the ship; right below command bridge. Shape is forward sloping wedge, thus allowing for gun emplacements to be used at full capacity at the front. Not only that, it has massive storage capacity. Can store a whole army if needed."

Thrawn widened his eyes, impressed with the powerful armament on the new warship.

"Also, heavy turbolaser batteries have a special configuration. Can be used to fire extremely powerful and long reaching beam attack. Takes longer for the guns to recharge though." Heleon finished up with the rest of his explanation on the Annihilator-Class Star Destroyer before moving on to the other ships.

"Next is Specter-Class Star Destroyer. 1600 meters in length, ship is well suited for ship to ship combat, not as good command center though. Also lacks as good of starfighter compliment as Annihilator-Class. It comes with heavier armor, lack of underside hanger found on Annihilator-Class, and new type of experimental shielding tech." Heleon then went to show how the new shielding tech was supposed to allow for short bursts of extremely powerful shielding. It came at the cost of weaker weapons systems when active, but it allowed for the ship to be used in far more various ways.

"Then the Eradicator-Class Star Destroyer. Not nearly as powerful or large as Specter and Annihilator-Classes. Only 870 meters in length. Made more for escort roles. Would need greater numbers to take on heavier Capital ships. Does have very good speed though. Good for catching blockade runners." Heleon finished his explanation on the new ships of Xion's Navy.

"Well, there's certainly nothing on this side of the galaxy that can take these monsters on." Thrawn said, clearly impressed with the powerful additions to the new navy.

"Yes, and from what I can see, the first of each of these ship lines is about to be completed soon." xion said, looking out from the observation tower that had been built on the uncompleted Star Forge. There were large dockyards that had been moved over to the Star Forge Construction Site so that new ships could be built and then sent right to the Star Forge for mass production.

Right now, each of the three new ships that Heleon had designed were under construction and were close to being finished. Final tests on the engines, hyperdrive cores, weapons, structural integrity, and paint jobs were being completed along with any additional parts that may need to be built onto the ships.

"Sirs, the trial run of the MS-05A Zaku I Early Type Space Model is about to commence soon. It should be easily watchable from the viewport, but we can pull up vidscreens of it from the camdroids if you wish." a Salarian Scientist said to all of them. "You're not the test pilot? Considering it's your creation one would think you'd wish to take it out for its first drive in space." Xion said surprised. "Yes, well not the best pilot. Wanted to get maximum results. Looked through Imperial Rosters and found best starfighter pilot. Had him learn the mechanics, so should know how to pilot suit at least." Heleon replied. "Hm, well then let's see how well this pilot does." Xion said.

* * *

Anavel Gato **(4)** breathed in and out as he tried to calm his nerves. To think, he, he had been selected from all the other starfighter pilots out there to pilot the Empire's newest weapon. He had just been a recent recruit in all honesty. Sure he had scored really well in the Academy, but even then he was still a rookie. Hell, he hadn't even graduated soon enough to participate in the Tursal War as the conquest of the Turians and Salarians was being called.

"_Attention Ensign Gato, the test is about to begin. Are you ready?_" came the voice of one of the Salarian testers.

"O-Oh, yes sir. I'm prepared to begin" Gato said, a bit startled by the voice.

"_Good. Start with flying through several of these rings. We want to see how fast and maneuverable the suit is so we're going to have the rings constantly moving. We'll be timing you as well so try to make this fast._" the Salarian tester said.

"Right." Gato confirmed before pushing the thrusters and causing the mobile suit's engines to ignite.

Blasting forward, the suit flew towards the holographic rings that had been set up. The rings were themselves moving up and down, side to side, turning around, and speeding up or slowing down in order to test just how well Gato could react. Gato pushed his suit forward and sent the Zaku through the first ring, which was just trying to move off to the side, before immediately backing up and heading towards a rapidly spinning ring. Getting inside of it just before it completed its next rotation Gato watched as it disappeared, all the rings he went through would disappear upon him getting through them.

Flying to his next ring, Gato saw that this one was a very complex one to get through as it was spinning on its horizontal axis, was moving at a high speed, and seemed to also move down in a spiral motion as well.

Heading towards it, Gato tried to get through with extreme speed, but that failed as the ring just moved away faster.

"Damn." Gato cursed at his initial failure before stopping and trying to get around the ring. Hoping that there'd be an opening, Gato moved the suit, and when he reached the side found that the ring was already flipping in another direction.

Gato then decided to stop and watch the ring for a while, trying to figure out where and how the ring moved. Upon figuring it out, Gato saw where the ring was going to be eventually, and then started calculating in his head when it would be at the point he was aiming for. Once he figured out where it would be and at when he headed over to that place, being sure not to arrive too soon or the ring would change direction.

He made it just in time and the ring itself moved through him and disappeared. Gato then went on to finish getting through the rest of the rings, and ending the test.

"_Excellent work Ensign. The next test will be on combat capabilities. We will be sending out Sith Interceptors. They will be piloted by VI's so don't hesitate to destroy them. The interceptors are also going to be armed with lethal weaponry to get as much realism out of this as possible._" the tester said.

"Understood. By the way, when will you send out the fighters?" Gato asked.

"_They're already out._" was the reply.

Just then his sensors flared up in warning, showing five figures coming at him.

Quickly maneuvering his suit to face them, Gato was greeted to the five Sith Interceptors that had been sent after him.

All of them started firing at him immediately, forcing Gato to make some tight twists and turns to dodge them. He started hearing some of the suits parts start to creak and groan at the extreme movement, causing him to wince in worry.

The starfighters meanwhile had been moving so fast that they went past Gato and out of their own range for shooting at him. They had to turn around and speed towards him, but now, Gato was ready to fight back. And he did so by first aiming the Zaku's left arm which contained a single grenade launcher. Firing it, the grenade went and hit one of the starfighters, smashing its cockpit to pieces and then blowing up, engulfing the entire starfighter in fireball.

Gato then took out the 105-mm machine gun that was attached to the back of the Zaku. He pulled out the handle that was on the side of the gun and held it with the left hand of the Zaku in order to stabilize it.

He then unleashed a heavy torrent against the remaining starfighters. The bullets flew past them as the fighters made their way towards Gato, their own guns preparing to fire. Yet as they got closer, the bullets became more accurate, and one of their number was felled by a bullet smashing into its cockpit, causing the starfighter to explode.

Another was torn apart by a bullet ripping through one of its wings, showing the light construction that was a part of the Sith Interceptors, and also causing it to veer off course and crash into another starfighter, making them both blow up.

Gato meanwhile tsked at the amount of recoil that the gun was giving and its overall lack of accuracy. Deciding to ditch the gun, Gato went for the heat hawk that was also stored on the back of the suit.

Activating the blade, Gato watched as it turned an angry red signifying that it was heated. Heading towards the starfighter which was now blasting away at him, Gato dodged around the laser bolts that were fired at him. The fighter also launched two missiles which were cut in half by Gato, exploding behind him as he went for a final boost of speed and slammed the axe down on the starfighter.

It worked well at first, but then the heat hawk started to malfunction, forcing Gato to put a lot more power into pushing the axe through than what should have been necessary. Cutting his way though, the now halved starfighter blew up, the Zaku's mono-eye glowing as it sought for anymore enemies.

"_Good work Ensign. Please bring the suit back now. The test is over._" the Salarian tester said.

"Understood sir." Gato replied as he brought the mobile suit back to the Star Forge.

As he looked on, Gato started with awe at the massive structure that was before him. The Star Forge was easily one of the largest construction projects the Sethelonians turned Imperials had ever done in their long history. It easily eclipsed the length of the old Centurion-class Battlecrusiers times 100. It was around 220 kilometers in length when one counted the massive fins that were under construction. The central ball was already nearing completion along with one of the fins, and the other two fins were beginning to be build on as well.

'_This…this is a symbol of the success of our empire._' Gato thought to himself, a patriotic pride coming to him as he thought of how much life for everyone had improved since the Sith Empire had come into power. His father had been unemployed before the Star Forge construction project and his family had been in danger of losing their home which had forced Gato to quit school and entire the military in order to start making some money.

Yet when the Sith Empire was made, suddenly his father was recruited along with thousands of others to aid in building the Star Forge. Suddenly his family was in the clear again. They could afford the food they needed, pay the plumbing, electricity, and now his siblings were able to get their educations. Everything really had been made better with the coming of the Sith Empire.

And that was why Gato had decided to stay in the military rather than go back to school. The military was not only giving him his degree anyways, but Gato felt that it was the one way he could truly repay the Sith Empire for making a better future. He'd fight for it and ensure its success, no matter what the cost.

Once he got to the correct hanger bay, Gato landed the mobile suit and walked it over to the storing rack. Opening the hatch, Gato got out of the suit and activated a cable that lowered him onto the ground.

When he reached the ground he found himself being greeted by the two people he least expected to meet in his entire life. Emperor Xion and Grand Admiral Thrawn were both there in the hanger bay walking over towards him.

Standing at attention, Gato immediately saluted them both and said "Y-Your majesty, Grand Admiral Sir, it's an honor to me you both!" He was somewhat nervous meeting the very people who had been the cause for his better familial life.

"At ease soldier." Xion said amused at Gato's nervousness.

"So you're the test pilot eh?" Thrawn asked.

"Yes sir!" Gato said.

Thrawn smiled and replied "Relax soldier, like Xion said, at ease. We're not going to bite your head off. Well, I won't." Thrawn smirked at Xion while he said that.

"Oh come now Thrawn. Do you really think I spend my time bothering my soldiers in such a manner as that? Well you're right. I do. " Xion joked.

"Well at least the troops get a good sense of fear in you. After all, far be it from me to suggest that actual awe inspiring loyalty tends to work better."

"What! And have them like me? Oh perish the thought!"

Gato looked on in wonder at the interaction between the two. They were more friends than subordinate and superior. '_Although, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They did plan the whole uprising together._' he thought to himself.

"Well now. We didn't come here to joke around, despite contrary evidence. Instead we're here to see you." Xion said.

"M-Me?" Gato was shocked. A part of him still couldn't believe that some of the most powerful people in the Empire wanted to meet with him, a lowly grunt.

"Yes. You see, you quite impressed me with your piloting skills with that machine over there. Despite the flaws that it seems to have, you pushed through and completed the tasks." Xion complimented.

"Thank you." Gato said, happy that he had been able to please what was essentially one of his idols.

"Tell me, I'm curious to know, why do you fight for the Empire?" Xion questioned.

"Because, I believe in the Sith Empire. It's a chance for us to correct the mistakes of the old Sethelonian regime. It's a chance to move on and achieve a brighter future for all. I'm fighting for the Sith Empire because it's the best bet this galaxy has for order and peace." Gato said this time with full confidence.

Xion's eyes widened. Hidden by his mask, the young man in front of him had no indication that he had just surprised his leader.

Xion honestly was shocked by what he was hearing. To see someone who so heavily believed in him and the goals that he was working towards. It made Xion feel somewhat happy to know that there were people who were grateful for what he had accomplished. That there were those who had faith in him, even if it was only one person.

"Well then soldier, looks like you're an impressive sight. I have feeling that you'll go far in this galaxy. Anyone with a faith and conviction like yours also has the will to fight for their future. Keep that will, because it shall serve you well when the time comes." Xion said to Gato.

Proud to have impressed his leader, Gato stood at a salute as Xion and Thrawn started walking away from him.

"So, you weren't just prasing him because he inadvertently gave you praise right?" Thrawn asked.

"No. You saw his combat skills. Even when the suit was revealed to have several flaws in it he still pushed through and defeated the starfighters in record time.

"Yes. But is that is sign of perseverance or stubbornness; I wonder?" Thrawn responded.

"Often times perseverance and stubbornness mean one and the same thing. It depends on the success of the individual that separates the two. That, and I can feel it. Gato. He will grow into a legend in his own right." Xion said.

"Well, if you say so. You're the one with the shaman power after all." Thrawn said.

A tick developed over Xions head, not that anyone could see, and he said "It's the force. Not some hillbilly backwater nature crap!"

"Whatever you say." Thrawn smirked.

* * *

An Interdictor-Class crusier appeared out of hyperspace and headed towards the massive dockyards over Palaven. This Interdictor appeared to be very old if the battle scars and many scratches and patch-jobs over the hull were any indication.

"Man! Look at that old thing! No wonder we're getting rid of these old ships." one of the men stationed in the space station that was connected to the docks said.

"Looks a little bit too old to be in our navy honestly. One would think a ship in that condition would have been retired ages ago." another man said.

"Well obviously the _Royals_" and here this was said with as much disgust as possible "didn't put the proper funding to the military. So of course they were going have to use stuff that should be sent to the trash heap." a woman said, getting nods of agreement from her two male compatriots.

"Alright, enough chatter. Hail the coming ship." this time a Turian commander spoke and got them back on their jobs. With a quick 'yes sir', everyone was at their console, wringing again.

"This is Palaven Dockyards Control. Interdictor-Class, do you copy?" one of the guys said.

"_Yes. We hear you. Which one of the docks should we go to?_" the accented voice said.

"First we'll need your access code."

"_We've transmitted it._"

"Hm. One of the older codes. Weird. But we are still using it. Alright then." one of the guys pondered before giving the vessel the all clear.

"You may proceed to dock 5435. Is that understood." the Turian commander spoke to the vessel.

"_Loud and clear sir!_"

"Very well then." the Turian commander responded.

* * *

Aboard the newly arrived Interdictor-Class Cruiser, Thrace, Varison, Dorgovitch, and nearly all of his commandos along with a bunch of other rebel fighters were preparing themselves to board the docks and seize control of the space station.

"Man, I really don't think this will work." Varison said.

"We're already committed, I don't think saying that will help." Thrace reasoned.

"Yeah, but that still doesn't change how I feel. That space station is likely to have thousands of personnel aboard it. Soldiers included. Compared to that, we only have a few hundred. Unless we can signal the rest of our forces in time, then I fear we're doomed." Varsion said.

He then closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few seconds before opening them and saying more to himself than anyone else "Alright, enough of this worrying crap! What comes comes. If I die, I'll take as many with me as I can!"

Thrace was uncomfortable with how Varison seemed to regard his own death, but let him be.

"Well my friends, this is the hour!" Dorgovitch said as he came towards the two and threw each arm over their shoulders.

"We will fight and either die or spread our struggle across the stars! So, as is a custom of my people, let us share in a drink!" Here Dorgovitch brought out a bottle of Grinshi Carvarian Whisky and three shot glasses.

"Don't see why not. Always nice to go into battle with a good shot." Varison said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Dorgovitch said happily as he poured the shots out.

"Um, I'm only 16." Thrace said in weak protest.

Varison gave him a deadpan look at Thrace's abhorrently weak attempt to follow the age limit on drinking.

"Kid, get your priorities straight one of these days. It'd really make you a lot less stupid." Varison downed the shot as he said this.

"Oh come now! There's no need to be harsh on the young lad. He is only representing the morals that were taught to him. There's never any shame in that. It's when you form your own morals that you can be held accountable for them!" Dorgovitch then brought the shot glass over to Thrace "Now, drink up my boy! You are only young once, so might as well enjoy it!"

Thrace took the glass nervously and drank from it. However, his inexperience showed when he drank slowly instead of at once as he started coughing heavily from the burning sensation of the whiskey.

Laughing at the youth, Dorgovitch and Varison allowed Thrace a few moments to recollect himself.

"I have to say, damaged as it is, this is an impressive ship. It's really luck for us that you managed to get it." Dorgovitch commented.

One of the prep-phases leading up to their hijacking attempt was getting a ship that would enable them to get into the dockyards and let them carry enough people to take control of them. This was where Thrace and Varison had become invaluable.

As Royal Guardsmen, they had a lot of knowledge about the former Sethelonian Territories. There was a specific area that was seldom known about due to its relative uselessness as anything other than a garbage dump.

It was a planet by the name of Sardonis. It was once used by the Sethelonian Kingdom as a dumping ground for old naval vessels. It had been abandoned for quite some time save for the native wildlife, some of which had been mutated by the more potent energies used to power the ships.

The group had gone and found a ship that was in the best condition possible and would require as little work on repairing needed. The old Interdictor-Class Cruiser was the best they had found and it wasn't in a very good condition anyways.

They had done what was needed to make the ship habitable for people and able to travel through hyperspace, but beyond that it had nothing else. Its defensive systems were all shot to hell, so the ship was essentially just a fancy transport, if one could call it that.

As the ship docked into its designated area, everyone on board prepared themselves for the assault. A boarding ramp was then attached to the airlock, and two Sith Troopers entered the ship.

Before they ever got the chance to even voice their surprise, they were cut down by blaster fire.

"FORWARD!" Varison yelled out as he lead the charge into the station.

"EAAARRRGGGHHH!" was the cry of many of the soldiers as the followed Varison.

As they made their way onboard, they encountered many Sith Troopers who were unfortunately for themselves were still wearing their old Revan-era armor. Most were cut down in an instant, having been caught completely unawares.

As the Rebels spread throughout the station, Varison, Thrace, and Dorgovitch lead the Grinshi Commando's towards the command center.

"On your left!" Thrace called out to Dorgovitch who in turn saw the oncoming grenade and moved to smack it back to the owner with the butt of his rifle.

Exploding and killing the former owner, Dorgovitch soon switched his attention to the other Sith Troopers in the area, swinging his blaster rifle to face them and firing, the heavily modified weapon tore through their old armor with ease and they fell down with great burn holes all over them.

Other Grinshi Commandos made short work of their opponents as well, one throwing a rocket launcher to another compatriot and bringing out their own, firing and blasting through a whole platoon of Sith Troopers.

Another brought out two vibroknives and sliced into the necks of two Troopers. A group of five worked together to set up a rapid-fire laser turret and shielding positions in order to establish a defensive perimeter.

Others used sniper fire, smokescreens, or sheer overwhelming firepower to bring down more Sith Troopers.

Each Grinshi Commando proved just why they were the elites of their former Kingdom.

As the group advanced its way towards the command center, those in the command center were frantically doing everything they could to halt the advance.

"Activate all defensive turrets! Sound the alarms and get every soldier stationed here to fight! Somebody call for reinforcements, we've lost too many men in this fight already! We may not be able to hold out much longer!" the Turian commander tried to reign in the situation while his panicking subordinates tried to do as they were told.

"Damn! Why'd this have to come when the majority our guard was transferred?" the Turian commander cursed.

Meanwhile, Thrace and Dorgovitch had decided to go on ahead with their detachment of Grinshi Commandos to the command center while Varison would protect their backs with his detachment along with being reinforced by a squad of Turian soldiers.

"Alright then. This pathway should lead us to the command center." one of the Grinshi Commandos who'd hacked one of the station's terminals for a map of the station said.

"It feels weird that we're making it towards our goal so quickly." Thrace said as he blasted away with his lance at the Sith Troopers guarding the way. They fell before his barrage, their lower armor unable to keep up with the amount of blaster bolts coming out of his lance.

"Heh, I'd like to give a toast! To Xion, for being so overconfident that you let us waltz right on in here!" Dorgovitch raised his hand in a mocking gesture of a toast before moving on with the rest of the group.

Fighting their way through, the group made it to the entrance to the command center. One of the Commando's set a detonator on the door and signaled the rest to get into cover. Once the charge exploded, everyone rushed in to seize control.

The Turian commander panicked at the sight of the invaders and pulled out his pistol, intending to shoot at them along with this compatriots. They were all quickly blasted apart though by the higher skilled group who then proceeded to take control of the place.

One of them immediately sent a signal to the rest of their forces who were on board Turian transport ships.

Another immediately went to work gaining control of the defense turrets so and retargeting them on the Imperials.

Meanwhile with Varison's group, they were holding the line, but with the heavy assault they were under from Imperial forces, the situation wasn't looking too good for them.

Blaster fire flew all over the place as people were forced to just aim somewhere and duck in order to avoid having their own head shot off.

Varison had activated the shield on his left arm and was using it to keep himself well protected while he used his lance to spray blaster fire over at his enemies. The Grinshi Commandos had set up several shields and were currently hiding behind them while taking fire at their leisure.

One of the commandos held a spike launcher and was using it to great effect on the Sith Troopers. A fast, accurate, and powerful gun, the spike launcher suffered in that it was slow to reload, only fired one shot at a time, and was big to carry.

Yet, the weapon proved its effectiveness in the hands of a skilled owner, as the commando fired carefully; a spike piercing through the head of a Sith Trooper, causing blood and gore to spray over the walls.

The weapon was dead useful for piercing through the armor that the Sith Troopers wore, much like Varison's blaster lance. And it proved itself just as bloody, if the shower of gore it was continuously causing was any indication.

The Sith Troopers who were confronting them had to take walls and corners as their cover, and there wasn't much in the way of good cover where they were, making them far easier targets. Yet, they were still in greater numbers, and they were starting to become more organized.

Still, Varison and his group held their ground. It was only as a grenade came in front of one of the shields the Commando's set up that things started to go wrong.

The Commando's, thinking the grenade to be nothing more than a regular one didn't even bother dodging it; opting to hide behind their shields instead. It was the fact that the grenade was disc shaped instead of spherical that served as a warning to others who immediately got out of its range. Upon activating, the grenade didn't go up in an explosion of fire and shrapnel, but instead sent out a wave of electricity, disabling all electronic devices in the area, including the shields set up by the Commandos.

Shocked that their shields went down, the Commandos were helpless when Turian troops began to arrive and actually began assisting the Sith Troopers much to their confusion. Several Commando's went down at once due to the additional barrage of fire and lack of shielding.

When openings in the walls began appearing and turrets revealed themselves, things only got worse for Varison and his group as their heavier firepower began overwhelming their shielding. It was only a matter of time before the group was reduced to Varison's shield and whatever cover they could find.

It was only thanks to the turrets suddenly turning against the Imperials, that Varison and his group made it, and the arrival of reinforcements from another part of the station didn't hurt either.

Varison then started getting a transmission on his communicator. Activating it, he was greeted to a hologram of Thrace.

"_Varison, good news. We've alerted the rest of our forces! They'll soon be here! It's only a matter of time before we've got our fleet!_" Thrace said optimistically.

"Yeah, just wish more of us could have survived." Varison said looking out at all the bodies that were around him and his group.

A sad look passed across Thrace's face as he looked at the bodies as well.

"_I'm sorry for taking so long Varison. I wish we could have helped sooner._" Thrace said.

"It's not your fault. You did your job and I have to do mine. Now tell me, how long before the rest of our forces get here?"

"_We had them hide out in a place not too far from the Palaven System; so it shouldn't take more than a few minutes for them to arrive. Once that happens, we'll be able to take just about every ship we need._"

"Yeah. I have to admit, it's a bit hard to think that we'd ever make it to this stage. After that disaster with Ralaba, I thought we were screwed to be honest." Varison said.

"_Yeah…_" Thrace contemplated how their situation had changed so drastically. From a floundering rebellion with next to no hope for survival they were about to in what was probably the greatest hijack ever steal themselves a mighty armada and form the nucleus of their rebellion against Xion.

Varison leaned against a wall and took out a small bottle of water to quench his thirst. Sweat rolled down the side of his face as he panted from the exhaustion of his latest fight. He hadn't been able to completely block every shot with his shield otherwise it would have run out of energy far too quickly, thus forcing him to move and avoid the blaster bolts. His armor would only protect him for so long after all, so better to let it take damage when he really needed it. Having to constantly roll around and dodge grenades was no laughing matter either, and spearing some of those troopers hadn't been as easy as he would have liked.

"Man, I'll be glad once the rest of our forces arrive. We'll be in a real good spot then." Varison said.

"_Yeah. Well good luck watching our backs. We're still going to have to count on you for a little longer._"

"Yeah yeah. Don't worry." Varison responded.

While that conversation went on, those in the auxiliary bridge were in a panic trying to regain control of the situation. The loss of contact with the main command bridge had certainly not helped to allay their worries, and when the defensive turrets had turned on them it had nearly been a disaster. They had managed to deactivate the ones in their room, but were less fortunate in regaining control of the others, dooming many Imperial soldiers to their deaths.

They had also come to see that most if not all of their forces within the station were now becoming badly outnumbered by the rebels due to their control of the turrets and surprise attack. Their lack of adequate numbers in the defense of the station was no help either.

And yet, just when the auxiliary command thought that things couldn't get any worse, they were proven wrong again when they started to detect a several large vessels coming out of hyperspace. They were revealed to be Turian transports, which began heading towards the space station at top speed.

Once they docked and started unloading their payloads, the auxiliary crew was treated to the sight of thousands of rebels storming the dockyards and boarding the vessels designated to be scrapped.

As far as auxiliary command was concerned, everything was a disaster right now. Especially when the boarded vessels turned their guns on the ships that weren't boarded and began to rain down fire upon them, determined not to leave the Imperials with anything.

The only good thing about the massive theft of the ships was that the rebel force had now left the station as well, thus letting the remaining Imperials try and get a semblance of control. It really wasn't much of a comforting thought however.

It was only when a reinforcement fleet of Imperials consisting of a Centurion and several Sith Interdictors arrived that the rebel fleet decided to scram. Even though the rebel fleet had technically outnumbered the Imperial one by a large margin, the ships were considerably understaffed, and the disorganization of the rebels meant that they wouldn't be an effective fighting force against the newly arrived Imperials.

Meanwhile, inside the main command bridge of the station several figures appeared as though they had come from thin air. They were all dressed in black armor with glowing red outlining on the segmented parts that seemed to do a good job of hugging their figures better than regular armor and thus being more flexible. They wore helmets that covered the entirety of their faces and that had four glowing red eye-holes, two over the regular eyes and two on the forehead.

They were the newest addition to I.I., Imperial Shadows **(5)**.

They specialized in stealth, infiltration, assassination, tracking, and subterfuge. Using technologies brought over from the Republic and the brilliance of many Salarians, the armor that the Imperial Shadows wore was capable of generating a cloaking field around the wearer and sending out a signal that blocked communications, scanners, and radar in an area of about 100ft, creating a virtual dark spot for them to move through. The armor also had the ability of long range communications and was highly durable, not to mention the cloaking field could also be used to create disguises by creating a movable hologram over the wearer.

Their helmets meanwhile were equipped with several ranges of vision going from normal to infrared to heat based to night vision. The helmets also transmitted feedback data in the form of local temperature readings, to how many of the enemy were in a surrounding area to, targeting schematics, to various other info. The Imperial Shadows came equipped with a left arm mounted high caliber blaster, and wielded a vibro-tantō and a rapid fire sniper rifle.

One of the Imperial Shadows activated a holoprojector that was mounted in the right arm of the suit and activated it. An image then appeared. It was the droid HK-47, leader of Imperial Intelligence and thus their boss.

"Sir" one of the Imperial Shadows spoke, their voices altered by the speakers in the armor so as to make it more difficult to identify them "the rebels have taken over the ships. It's just as Lord Xion wished. The rebels will now be easy prey."

"**Statement: **_Good. Master will be pleased when he hears of this. _**Order:** _You will now report back to HQ at once. _**Lament:**_ Oh, how I long to be out on the battlefield again._" HK-47 said this last part as it looked around at the dead bodies inside the command bridge.

* * *

The humiliation that this assault on the dockyards of Palaven caused was astounding.

People were angry, they wanted someone to blame, they wanted to make the rebels pay, and they wanted solutions to their problem now.

Thankfully, Xion proved to be a master at shifting the blame. Instead of taking any for himself, he showed the rebels in the worst light possible. He envisioned them as a horde of monsters who were coming to destroy everything that people had worked so hard to build.

He used every possible slander that was out there to describe them, and he showed just how 'ruthless' and 'savage' they were when they had assaulted the station. Altered images taken from the security cameras on the station had them slaughtering the 'innocent civilian' workers on board along with their all around 'ruthless treatment' of the bodies of their fallen foes had greatly aided in turning public anger solely on the rebels.

Yet perhaps the biggest factor in letting Xion shift nearly all the public anger onto the rebels was his revelation that Bethany, the last Sethelonian Royal was their 'leader'.

I.I. had easily been able to pick up on the rumors of Bethany as the 'leader' of the rebel army that was forming. Those Salarians within the growing rebellion may have thought that they managed to hide the information well enough, but they seemingly forgot that the Sith Empire now had Salarians too.

The actual effect that Bethany being the leader of the rebels had varied amongst the different populations. Most of the former Sethelonian territories were literally foaming at the mouth demanding her head on a platter. Such was their hatred for their former rulers that it even extended to one who had genuinely tried to help them at one point. It had increased recruitment rates however, as more people joined up with the intention of ending Bethany and by proxy the Sethelonian Royal Family once and for all.

The Turian, Salarian, and Free Kingdom territories had far calmer reactions in comparison. Here, Xion had to use the images of treacherous Turians slaughtering their former comrades who had become part of the Imperial Military and were thusly a part of the legal governmental body. Turians, with their society being built around the point of serving the government, were understandably confused at this point as too who to follow; the rebels who were trying to bring down the Empire, or the Imperials who were the legal government now.

Those who had sided with the Sith Empire however were now greatly enraged at the deaths of their Turians by those they considered traitors and the humiliation of it happening over their homeworld, pushing them further onto the Sith Empire's side.

The Free Kingdom areas had to merely be threatened by the fear of losing the peace and order they had just finally achieved in the Sith Empire to get them into a frenzy against the rebels.

The Salarians were the least responsive to the situation as a whole and thus, Xion had no real problems with them.

With Xion managing to completely turn the near entirety of the population against the rebels, even in a situation where the public backlash should have affected him more severely than the rebels; one would thing that things couldn't get any better. That person would be wrong however. The best news of all times had reached Xion. The Star Forge had finally reached a stage where the production facilities on it could finally be put to use.

The now completed starships for Xion's fleet were thusly being put into mass production. The Star Forge however wasn't even close to being able to utilize its full capacity and was only producing ships and weapons at 20%. It would be enough however to crush the rebel fleet as far as Xion was concerned.

* * *

**Location: **Coranda, Imperial City Hospital

Thrawn sat on a stood beside the beside of his little sister Veracia who was laying down in a bed, now dressed in a hospital gown instead of the outfit Benarce had forced her to wear.

Thrawn was absolutely miserable right now as he looked on at the blank look that was in his sister's eyes. She just looked forward, staring out into space, looking at and recognizing nothing. She had nearly the same look as soldiers who got the thousand yard stare.

It twisted his insides to think of what had been done to his little sister and how powerless he had been to stop it. He had sworn from the time that she was little that as her big brother he would protect her. Yet when she had needed him most he hadn't been there. He had been forced to just bury the pain inside of himself as he could only imagine what kind of horrors Benarce had put her through.

When the doctors had finally been able to give a medical report on Veracia, Thrawn had nearly screamed with rage at what he had seen.

The medical report told him of numerous bruises, broken bones, cuts, and internal damage that Benarce had done to Veracia. His repeated rapes of her had also gotten her pregnant repeatedly, and thus she had been forced to take multiple abortions as Benarce didn't want any pregnant girls. That, combined with his brutal rapes had taken their toll and left Thrawn's little sister infertile. She would never be capable of starting a family of her own.

The bruising and scaring had thankfully been easily removed as it looked like Benarce didn't like his girls looking like bruised tramps. He had given them constant medical treatment on the cosmetics department.

It was a small and shallow comfort for Thrawn to know that at least his sister wouldn't have to deal with any physical deformities at the least.

Yet Veracia's horror story wasn't over yet. Not only was she practically beaten while she was raped, but she had also been filled with drugs according to what the doctors found in her bloodstream. Severl narcotic substances had been found, indicating that Benarce was trying to twist his victims around and get them to try and enjoy what he was doing to them in his sick and twisted ways.

The psychological abuse had destroyed Veracia as well. Being called all manner of insulting names, being shown her constant powerlessness, having to witness the same thing be done to other women, and when the narcotics were given, the horrid fact that she would take some pleasure from the drugs at least had all contributed to the total breakdown of Veracia's mind.

Now essentially a vegetable, Veracia rarely moved, didn't talk, and just stared forward, lost in her own nightmares.

Tears ran down Thrawns eyes as he knew that the sweet little girl that he loved so much had been destroyed so utterly and by abhorrent monster like Benarce.

Benarce just brought up a feeling of such malice and destructive potential, that to call it hate or rage would be insignificant. This was a primal need, a desire so great that it was nearly embedded to Thrawn's instinct. This was the need to cause such great suffering upon Benarce and the rest of the Sethelonian Royalty that if they ever had descendents a thousand generations from now then they too would feel the fury and pain that Thrawn would cause upon their line.

He honestly never wanted to destroy someone as much as he did Benarce. And his only regret with Benarce was that he wasn't around to suffer some more. With the newer technologies coming in from the Republic, so too were coming new tools of torture.

Yet, looking upon his little sister, Thrawn felt all those emotions wash away as he tenderly looked at her and reached out slowly to try and at least give her a comforting shoulder pat.

Yet the second his hand moved an inch towards Veracia, she automatically flinched. If there was one thing her mind had retained, it was a fear of men, and heartbreakingly enough, this extended to her older brother as well.

Thrawn was visibly hurt by this, yet in no way blamed Veracia for her response, knowing that there was no logical way for her to not be afraid of men is some way, shape, or form.

He loved his little sister with all of his heart, and was willing to do anything to see her recover; and if that meant staying away from her and never getting to see his sister again, Thrawn would do just that.

"Oh Veracia. If mom and dad could see me now. What a failure I am. I couldn't protect you. I was your older brother. It was my duty, my responsibility, my greatest task, and I failed. If I burn in hell after all this is over for my failure, I won't complain. But Veracia, I know you can't hear me, but maybe…if any bit of you is still left in there then please, listen to what I have to say! I vow, that no matter what reason, what situation, what person tries to stop me, I will protect you! Even if I die in the attempt! I will never let you get hurt again! I'll take any scar, bear any burden, fight any foe if that's what it takes to protect you. I know, those words are shallow now. They do you no good, but still; they're all I can offer." Thrawn said sadly.

As Thrawn kneeled by the bedside of his sister, a polite knock sounded from the door.

"Come in." Thrawn said.

The door opened and an Imperial Officer came in saying "Sir, it's time. The rebel fleet has been found. Our forces are to head out and destroy them soon."

At this, Thrawn gave a vicious smirk. Soon, the last Royal would die. Maybe then, some form of greater comfort could be offered to Veracia.

* * *

**Location:** Asteroid Field

Within a large asteroid field, the new rebellion that was now publicly calling itself the United Liberation Forces had gathered practically every resource it had there.

The entire fleet of stolen ships was hidden here with the purpose of keeping them hidden and protecting them from outside attack. They were deep enough in the asteroid field that any enemy who wished to engage them would have to do so by entering into the asteroid field themselves. The United Liberation Forces' Navy had blasted themselves a large space within the asteroid field so that they wouldn't have to worry about the big rocks while staying there. Instead, only the enemy would have to be concerned with them when they would have to enter the field to reach a close enough range to fire upon them.

Right now, the fleet was currently doing logistics and gathering more numbers to their cause. About two weeks after their attack on the Imperial dockyards over Palaven and their mass hijacking of ships, many other resistance groups in the Sith Empire were willing to join up.

Even groups like the Democratic Movement, a group of Sethelonians who wished for a democracy and had been fighting the Royals and now the Sith Empire were willing to join up, if only because the United Liberation Forces held the most success so far. They were drawing more and more numbers, and subsequently attention to themselves as well. Yet so far the Sith had yet to find them, which boded well.

They had whatever was left of their fleets scouring the cosmos for them, yet couldn't seem to locate their position.

All in all, the United Liberation Forces laughed at the Imperials for what they perceived as their arrogance at thinking that they had vanquished all their foes.

Spirits were very high and even though Xion's portrayal of them was outraging many members, it wasn't enough to overwhelm their high spirits.

"_These images you see here are disturbingly graphic and I do hope that those parents with children are doing their best to keep them away for now. These rebels, or rather terrorists have shown their true colors. They make the claim that they are trying to free us. But their actions have taken a meaning that is the exact opposite of what they are trying to say. They assaulted a place that was extremely vital to the Empire for our trade and safety and they did so in a brutal and uncouth manner. These terrorists are monsters that must be brought to heel before they end up destroying everything that we've worked so hard for. We must ga-_"

"Enough with that crap already!" a turian said as he changed the channel to something more pleasing rather than the insulting news footage that was being shown all throughout the Sith Empire.

Many of those on board the command bridge of the _Sarthowa_ a Centurion-Class battlecruiser were displeased with the news reports going on about them. Yet even so, they still were getting people to join them. Admittedly, the amount of people joining up were only in the few thousands and came from low population areas. Thus, regardless of the increase in recruitment size, the United Liberation Force only numbered in the few tens of thousands. And sadly, recruitment areas were beginning to dry up. Even with their hijacking of the Palaven Dockyards, many still believed that their forces held no hope of victory.

Numbers wise this was true. Even with the massive theft of ships over Palaven along with the rest of the Imperial Navy waiting for their new ships, they were still near hopelessly out numbered. It was also only a matter of time before the Sith Empire got their navy back into shape and really began to hunt them down. Not to mention that the recruitment centers for their army had been in low population areas, away from the center of Imperial control, where loyalists would have reported them in the second they heard of such a recruitment.

It was all about time. Right now the rebels had the momentum and they had to push it forward. That was why plans were being made for a new target to attack. They were going to take the war to Xion and work to free the galaxy from his grip.

"Why don't we try to take back Palaven! Trust me, we can win if we try!" a female Turian by the name of Ixecis said.

Female Turians, as opposed to the male Turians tended to have shorter crests, were somewhat thinner, smaller, and curvier; held a duller skin tone than male Turians, and had a higher pitched voice.

Ixecis was a former Turian general who had fled rather than join the Sith Empire upon its conquest of her homeworld, especially after the deaths of her entire family during their assault on Palaven.

"Palaven is deep in Imperial territory. Even if we did liberate it we wouldn't be able to hold on to it for very long. The Imperials would have us surrounded. I'd suggest taking a slower approach and starting out with outskirt territories. We'll want to take over areas that have high food production and can support a large population." Moltron, the single-horned salarian said.

Bringing up a hologram of the galaxy, indicators appeared around the outskirts of Imperial territory, pointing out to several planets that may be ideal for Moltron's suggestion.

"I'd recommend starting from this planet here." Moltron pointed to a planet that was in the northern outskirts. "It's a great garden world, lots of already established farms, very little military presence, and the surrounding planets are also weak in defense as well. If we attack here, we can start a movement that may grow into a full on scale war." Moltron finished.

The idea was appealing to many people. They all liked the ease with which they would be able to conquer the place, and having a strong place from which to gather resources from was sounding like a very good idea. There was one however who wasn't impressed.

"Oh yes, and just how is that supposed to do any damage? The Sith Empire has hundreds of worlds just like that! I we go with your plan we won't do any damage at all. Right now the Sith are in chaos after our attack. Failing to do more damage now will only cause them to come back stronger sooner. We need to press our advantage now! If we attack Palaven we will deprive the Empire of a massive source of industry and military strength. My people, regardless of what occupation they choose, are warriors. Its required by all that at the age of 15 you sign up for the military. Military is our way of life, we're a race that knows how to fight! From the youngest solider to the oldest veteran we can all fight. Our parents teach us how to use a gun when we're kids. All we have to do is free Palaven from the Empire and we'll have one of the largest recruiting bases in the galaxy!" Ixecis called out, much to the support of her fellow Turians and several other bolder members.

"If you're people have such a strong will, how'd the Empire beat them in a matter of weeks?" Moltron pointed out.

Ixecis flexed her mandibles slightly in anger at that statement.

"_We were beaten because we had just lost most of our professional military and before we were even able to get word out we found ourselves under attack. The Empire had surprise and numbers on their side! That's the only reason we lost!_" Ixecis grounded out, furious at what she considered the greatest humiliation of her people ever.

Dorgovitch chose at this moment to speak "We must not be too hasty with our decisions. Let us remember that while we may have scored a great victory, the Empire is still vast as well as powerful. We have merely cut a deep gash into a ferocious Rancor. A great injury to be sure, but one that makes the Rancor no less dangerous. If we move too quick, I fear we will lose everything we have gained."

Varison agreed with Dorgovitch "Yes, we need to consider all options first. But I do believe that your plan Moltron will work out for the best. Its patient and lets us work towards building ourselves and our reputation up. A conquest of Palaven so early in the game may just end up destroying us. Plus" here Varison brought up a hologram of Palaven, "from what our spies say, the Imperials have only increased security in order to prevent another attack. So any attack on Palaven will be expected by them. We'd lose the valuable element of surprise."

Thrace nodded in agreement with Varison, Ixecis becoming incensed at that.

"I-I also agree with Moltran." their leader, Princess Bethany as she was now called by most said.

Ixecis turned her ire on Bethany and said "Oh really, and why is that?"

"Because, we need to think about how we can supply our people, and we also need a place for all the non-combatants to stay. Not everyone who joined us knows or even can fight. It isn't fair if we bring them into the battles too." Bethany replied, her voice regular in volume, but containing a surprising amount of conviction for what Ixecis assumed to be a weak willed princess.

Knowing that she was outnumbered on this decision Ixecis conceded "Fine then, since all of you want to take the easy way out, there's nothing I can do to stop you. Just hope we don't regret it in the future." Ixecis grumbled out the last sentence, but everyone heard.

Meanwhile, while that conversation was going on, a Salarian that was monitoring the computer systems of the _Sarthowa_ noticed that there was something strange going on. There was a minute transmission that was being sent from the ship. Entirely unnoticeable and mostly it was due to luck that this transmission was spotted. Trying to see if the transmission was to somewhere else in the fleet or to one of their recruiting stations, the Salarian went over to the communication systems and started searching.

Upon his discovery that this transmission wasn't anywhere in the communication systems, the Salarian grew understandably confused. He began searching for just where this transmission was coming from. Scouring every relevant system he could think of, the Salarian became more and more bamboozled when he couldn't find anything. Curiosity growing, the Salarian began searching everywhere in the computer database for the transmission signal.

Eventually, after several hours of searching, the Salarian found it. It was really well hidden within the regular operating systems of the ship. Again, had it not been for the luck of noticing the tiny transmission signal in the first place, the Salarian speculated that he would have never found it at all.

The next thing the Salarian did was wonder, if this transmission was hidden within this ship so well, what about the other ships?

So he began to contact the other ships and as for access into their computer systems as well. Working his butt off to find each signal being sent from each ship, the Salarian was starting to get worried. Why was this even in here in the first place? What purpose did it serve. It was starting to become obvious that these weren't a natural part of the ships' systems otherwise they would have been in the communication systems. The fact that they were so well hidden also pointed to them having been planted in there.

It was only when the Salarian began tracing the signals to where they were being sent that his eyes widened in horror. They were being sent directly to Coranda, Capital of the Sith Empire!

"SON OF A BITCH!" the Salarian cursed quite loudly, drawing the attention of many.

The Salarian had come to the horrid realization that the Sith Empire had known where they were the entire time. Every ship in their entire fleet had likely been transmitting their location back to the Empire. The fact that the transmission signal was so well hidden also meant that it had to have taken some time for the signal to be put in, thus leaning towards the fact that the Empire had been expecting them to take the ships! Hell they had practically planned this now that the Salarian thought about it!

The Imperials had presented a very tantalizing target by practically ditching their naval vessels and then broadcasting this across the holonetwork! Too tantalizing. There was no way anyone would have been able to resist such a target. And that was what the Imperials were counting on! They had planted that signal in the ships with the intent that the rebels would come to steal them!

"_They wanted us to steal the ships!_" the Salarian breathed out in anguish over the fact that they had just played right into the Empire's hands.

Even while others were coming over to check up on him, the Salarian began trying to activate the alarms, contacting the commanders to warn them, do anything to try and save their forces.

And, as if Murphy's Law had been triggered by the Salarian's discovery, an Annihilator-Class Star Destroyer appeared from hyperspace right in front of their fleet.

"Sir, the rebel fleet is within the asteroid field. It'll be very difficult to reach them with a ship of our size." an officer onboard the Annihilator-Class, which was aptly named the _Annihilator_, said to Thrawn.

Thrawn, who was sitting in the captain's chair, looked out in front towards the asteroid field where he could see the fleet of stolen ships.

"Sir, our scanners report that the enemy fleet currently holds 8 Centurion-Class battlecrusiers, 23 Sith Interdictors, 14 Turian battleships, and 13 Salarian frigates." Most of the men on board the command bridge got really nervous at that. Hearing themselves be so badly outnumbered was never really a great moral booster.

Thrawn however only smirked, saying "I quite like those odds. And I suggest the rest of you bulk up. If you think we're going to lose this engagement for even a second, then you've severely underestimated the firepower of this ship!"

Thrawn then raised one of his arms and pointed it forward "Now, set our turbolaser batteries to beam cannon configuration and fire at these coordinates!"Sets of coordinates immediately appeared on the consoles of the bridge workers, causing them to get to work.

Meanwhile, the United Liberation Forces' fleet was in at state that while it couldn't be described as panicked, was decidedly uncomfortable right now.

"The Imperials found us! But how? We never left a clue as to where we were!"

"Damn! We didn't even get to start our plans yet!"

"Aw man, I'm spoiling for a fight! Bring it on you Xion dogs!"

From the varied reactions of the people onboard the _Sarthowa,_ it was clear they weren't as worried as they ought to have been.

The reason why "Don't worry. The Imperial ship can't shoot at us from our position. We're too deep in the asteroid field. They'll have to move in to get into range. And we'll be free to shoot at our leisure all the while." Ixecis said smugly.

"But General, this Imperial ship is completely new! We don't have any information on it in any of our databases. What if it doesn't need to move in?" one of the bridge officers asked Ixecis.

"Oh? And tell me, how else are they going to fight us?" Ixecis responded haughtily.

A moment later, massive green beams arced across space, blasting through or burning holes in all of the asteroids in their path and continuing towards their intended targets. 32 beams in all, each in a pair of two, hit their targets.

One of the first ones hit was a Turian battleship. The pair of green beams tore their way through the main hull of the ship, completely punching through the shielding it had activated. Once the beams had done their work, what was left was a ship with a melted, burning, twisted, and warped hull. The Turian battleship soon went under, exploding in a brilliant flash of light, signaling the end of the 800m long warship.

The other beams also hit their marks, completely tearing though and obliterating their targets, causing bright flashes of light to be seen everywhere as the ships were destroyed. All in all, 16 ships were destroyed in the first few seconds of the engagement. One for each pair of beams.

Thrace, Varison, Bethany, Dorgovitch, Ixecis, Moltron, and many other survivors could only look on in horror at the sight of what was effectively a third of their fleet gone before they had even been able to engage the enemy. To make it worse, it was only a single enemy that did this!

Meanwhile onboard the _Annihilator_ a mini celebration was going on at the first successful use of the beam cannons in an actual combat senario.

Thrawn smirked, pure satisfaction rolling off him in waves "Now do you all see? These arrogant insects thought they could rise up and destroy our civilization! Look at em now, cowering most likely! We, a single ship have just managed to destroy one third of their entire fleet! This is our time to crush this insignificant little stain upon our galaxy! Let us rid ourselves of this menace once and for all! THE LAST ROYAL DIES TODAY!"

Cheers all throughout the ship were being made as Thrawn had broadcasted it to everyone on board. They were all eager to fight now!

Meanwhile, the rest of the United Liberation Forces' fleet had just come to another horrible realization. The very strategy of taking cover within the asteroid field which was supposed to protect them had now just backfired on them! The Imperials could hit them but they couldn't hit the Imperials. Instead of acting as a shield all the field did now was block their way towards the Imperial warship.

"Damn it! All forces move out! We have to retreat! We'll move the fleet back and out of the asteroid field. Once that happens we'll be able to jump into hyperspace." Varison ordered.

"Are you nuts? We can't have all of our forces retreat. Some have to stay and fight back otherwise the Imperials will just overrun us!" Ixecis said.

"You want to sacrifice our own forces. That's monstrous!" Thrace yelled out angrily.

"Better that some survive rather than none!" Ixecis retorted.

"But they joined us because they believed in us. Abandoning them now we they need us, especially when we're responsible for their lives, is too cruel. I'm not some heartless butcher that'll let my allies die before me just so I can run!" Thrace called out, his unwillingness to abandon the rest of the fleet concrete.

"Enough. Ixecis speaks sense. We can't win this battle. And if everyone retreats, then we will just become easy targets. I pains me greatly, but we must sacrifice the body to save the brain." Dorgovitch grounded out, even though it was clear by the sound of his voice that he didn't want to do so.

Varison nodded and began giving out orders for the remainder of the fleet to engage the enemy. Starfighters were launched, ships began moving forward, and people readied their shaken nerves to do battle.

As the Imperials saw that the enemy was moving to engage them, Thrawn moved to give out his commands "Tell me, how many of the enemy will engage us and how many are fleeing?"

"Sir, from what our scanners show, 42 ships remain. About 32 of them are moving to engage us. 10 however seem to be moving farther away. Likely to move out of the asteroid field to escape into hyperspace."

"How long until our cannons are recharged?"

"A minute sir."

"Very well then. Launch our fighters and bring out our new toys. I wanna test these new mobile suits against an actual foe." Thrawn smirked as he thought about the end of the enemy fleet at the hands of this new weapon.

The side hangers on the _Annihilator_ opened up, a set of four catapults launching out of them. Mobile suits, this time new combat ready MS-05B Zaku 1s, were lined up and ready to launch.

Gato Anavil breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. This was going to be his first real battle against enemy forces! This would be his first chance, a chance to show that he was a loyal solider of the Empire ready and willing to do what it took to fight in the name of Emperor Xion.

"This is Gato Anavil, launching!" Gato pushed the controls forward and had his mobile suit launch out off of the catapult and out into space. His mobile suit was a MS-05B Commander-Type Zaku 1. There wasn't much difference between it and the regular Zaku 1 save for the fact the Commander-Type had an antenna on the forehead and had increased communication abilities along with additional thrusters for greater movement. Gato's was painted in a white color scheme with the symbol for the Sith Empire on its right shoulder.

As mobile suits launched from the side hangers, the Sith Empire's newest starfighters launched from the ventral hanger. These starfighters were known as MK. IV Imperial Interceptors. With solar panels designed like trapezoids at their sides and two additional ones shaped like rectangular fins that could fold onto the bigger panels these starfighters had a large capacity for energy. Their laser cannons were also quite powerful and capable of blasting the much more heavily armored mobile suits to pieces should the need arise along with their proton torpedoes, which they carried in total four shot out in sets of two. They had less speed and maneuverability, than a mobile suit, but were still superior to their old Revan-era Sith Starfighters. They also had more armor than Sith Starfighters around their cockpit and could actually take a few hits.

All in all, superior to the elder Sith Starfigters in every way possible.

As the mobile suit and starfighter forces headed off into battle, the Sith Starfighters, Turian Interceptors, and Salarian Drones flew out of the surviving ships to intercept the oncoming Imperial forces.

The total mobile suits launched from the _Annihilator_ numbered 52, 26 stored in each side hanger. There were a total of 102 Mk. IV Imperial Interceptors on board in the ventral hanger bay. In total, there were 154 manned fighter craft capable of engaging in dogfights with the enemy, with all being armed for ship bombardment as well.

The United Liberation Forces were capable of bringing to bear some 1000 starfighters, yet all of them were of a far more outdated quality than what the Sith were bringing to the table. This would be a test, not only for the newly formed United Liberation Forces, but for the new Imperial Military. Outnumbered as they were and yet armed in superior machines, it would be up to skill and superior strategy and tactics in order to win this battle.

Of course, having help from a big ass ship firing its long range beam cannons never hurt either.

As the fighter forces of the two sides engaged, bright flashes of light began to envelope the battlefield, the telltale sign of someone or something dying in a blaze of fire and light.

Gato moved quickly, his suit flying around and dodging enemy fire. Taking his machine gun, Gato fired upon the slower moving enemies, quick to obliterate five Sith Starfighters before they knew what happened.

Proving faster than what the enemy could match, Gato flew his suit around, taking aim and firing his far more accurate shots this time around. The far more fragile enemy starfighters blew up from the damage they took or veered off course and crashed into asteroids. The Imperial forces faced the same problems with asteroids as well, but were able to fight much more effectively than their technologically inferior foes. The asteroid field also did a wonderful job of regulating the Liberation Force's fighters, not allowing for swarm tactics and forcing one on one battles, which the mobile suits were excelling at.

One Zaku blasted apart a Turian Interceptor with its bazooka, another cut apart a Salarian drone with its heat hawk, several joined together and began mass firing their machine guns all over enemy fighters, blasting them to shreds.

The Imperial Interceptors were proving their worth too, chasing down enemy craft and blasting them to smithereens. They also acted as a distraction from the more dangerous mobile suits, forcing pilots concentrated on them to move and avoid their fire or risk getting destroyed. This made them easier pickings for the mobile suits once they were distracted.

"You four, on me! Wedge formation! Break up that mass of Sith Starfighters!" Gato commanded as the four suits joined up with him. Raising their guns, the four Zaku's blasted towards the incoming group of some 20 Sith Starfighters. Charging forward, the suits forced the starfighters to scatter.

Taking aim on the fleeing fighters, the Zakus turned and blasted with their machine guns, each one taking down a Sith Starfighter. The rest of the fighters regrouped and once again made their way towards the mobile suits, firing their lasers en masse trying to hit one.

It didn't work for them. The Zaku's proved nimble enough to evade the fire, and even then when a stray shot did hit it was a relatively weak blast compared to the armor that the Zaku possessed.

Some, seeing no need to evade the blasts, fired their guns instead, taking down three more. Seeing the need to split them up, the remaining fighters split off into 6 pairs of 2.

They hoped to separate the mobile suits, yet some took the initiative and charged the fighter pairs. One brought out its heat hawk and sliced through one, the other hand carrying the machine gun fired and blasted it apart.

Another kicked one of the starfighters right into another one, blowing them both up.

The other fighters launched their missiles at their intended targets, yet the other three Zakus proceeded to shoot those down. Turning on the remaining fighters, all five Zaku's fired a mass of bullets that proved too much for the fighters to avoid.

"Good work! I we keep this up, the rest of this battle will be cinch." Gato told the rest of his wingmen.

Massive beams tore through space as the _Annihilator_ fired, taking down several more enemy ships. Most onboard were simply amazed at the sheer destructive firepower that the ship possessed.

So to were their enemies.

"Damn it! We can't even get within range of that thing and yet it can blast us to pieces! What the hell the Imperials do?" asked Ixecis.

"Mam! We've lost around 50% of our fighters! The enemy has only lost around 2%!" an officer alerted.

"What!" Ixecis was outraged.

Moltron grimaced "I think I can explain our devastating losses so far. Most of the forces we gathered were troops who specialized in ground combat. The majority haven't had experience piloting starfighters, and unlike the Imperials, we don't have the luxury of recruiting trained pilots. Thus, the only people we could send out to fight were inexperienced joes who only know how to steer the things and fire the blasters. Compared to the Imperials who've obviously received actual training and are in superior machines and I'm surprised we're holding out as long as we are."

"But we out number them 10 to 1. We should at least be slowing them down1" Ixecis protested.

"We are slowing them down. Just not by much. You of all people should know the effectiveness that a well trained army can have on an untrained one." Moltron responded.

Ixecis grit her teeth, mandibles twitching in anger as she acknowledged the truth.

Their pilots were untrained, Sith Starfighters were too fragile and lacked firepower, Turian Interceptors were despite their name unsuited for intercepting enemy craft as they were too big and bulky, and Salarian Drones were essentially a gun with engines on it; no capacity for intelligence was included in them.

As more of their ships went down in large flashes of light, everyone on board the _Sarthowa_ felt their despair get worse as they realized just how superior the Imperials were proving themselves to be.

"Sir, the rebel fleet is falling apart. Our forces have broken through and are starting to attack their ships directly." an officer started to inform Thrawn.

"Alright then, cease bombardment of the enemy fleet. We don't want to hit our men. Move our ship closer though. We don't want to lose range of fleeing ships." Thrawn commanded.

"But sir, if we get too close then the enemy fleet can bombard us! We might be superior in tech, but even so, we're just one ship." the officer replied.

Thrawn offered a smirk at the officer, knowing that this ship alone could take down the entire enemy fleet, but he offered his version of condolences "Don't worry, reinforcements should be coming…right about now."

Even as he said this, two more ships exited out of hyperspace near the _Annihilator_. These new ships were the Specter-Class Star Destroyers _Specter and Shadow_. With the appearance of two more ships to support the Imperials, it looked like the rebel fleet had lost all pretence of fighting. Every ship there was turning tail and running. Yet, their strategy of hiding amongst the asteroids had done them no good. In moving out to confront the Imperials and get into firing range, they had gotten into the asteroids and made themselves more disorganized. The 10 ships that were originally fleeing were blasting away at the asteroids in front of them, but it was taking them a while.

The rebels were doomed, and they seemed to know it. As the Specters launched their fighters and mobile suits, the battle was considered a victory for the Sith Empire now.

The Specter-Classes had each launched 30 mobile suits and 60 starfighters, giving the Imperial fighter squadrons 180 new reinforcements.

These new additions speed to the battlefield as fast as they could, eager to aid their brethren all ready fighting.

With the enemy fighter squadrons largely being eliminated by this point, the Imperial fighters soon began attacking the relatively cut off rebel ships who were blocked off from each other due to the asteroids.

Three Zaku's moved in and began firing at a Sith Interdictor, their machine guns aimed towards the engines of the ship. The ships shields held for a time, but when the Zaku's fired their grenades, designed for piercing through a ships shields, the engines and thusly a major portion of the hull was lost. With the awkward design that the Sith Interdictors had, the hull really wasn't very big to begin with, and most of it was located near the engines. Now the ship had just been blown in half from the destruction of its engines.

Another Zaku fired its bazooka at as Salarian Frigate. The missile went and hit the command bridge, cutting the ship off from its main control center. The Zaku then continued firing at the main hull, using up all of the bazooka's ammo in the process, but getting the very satisfactory result of the main hull exploding. The entire frigate was destroyed by the blast, and the pilot inside cheered at his minor victory.

A Commander-Type Zaku, this one colored in the normal green, charged at a Turian cruiser, firing its machine gun all the while, destroying the turrets that the ship used to defend itself. It blasted apart one of the main guns of the ship and fired its grenade at the other.

Upon reaching the command bridge of the Turian Cruiser, the Turians inside were scared out of their wits. The mono eye flashing, gave only an ominous feeling towards all on board. Yet, something strange was noticed when the mobile suit still hadn't destroyed them.

One of the Turians was taken by surprise and was quick to voice this "Sir, we're getting a transmission from the enemy machine!"

"We are?" the Captain said confused.

"Y-Yeah. I'm patching it though."

"_H-Hey, is that you?_" a voice that the Captain recognized asked.

"N-No way! I can't believe this! It's so great to see you…well hear from you at least! I thought you were dead!" the Captain couldn't have been happier. He had just reunited with one of this oldest friends around. During the Sith Empire's invasion of Palaven, he had thought that his friend had perished in the dogfights that had been happening all across the Turian capital. Yet here his friend was, alive and well.

"_Yeah, I'm glad you're alive too. But…_" and here the Captain's friend's voice became strained "_but why did you join rebels? Why did you betray your government!_"

"Betray my government! What are you talking about"

"_You always told me that no matter what happened you'd always remain loyal to the state! That no matter what they did, you'd stand behind it; because you were a proud Turian soldier!_"

"Don't you get it? I am loyal to the state! I haven't left it! I'm the one fighting for it right now! The state is our old Hierarchy! It's the old government that we used to fight for! You have to understand this! Join me! Join all of us! Help us fight for the state! The right state!"

'The…the right state.' the Turian pilot thought to himself. What was the right state. Was it the old Hierarchy composed of Turians who had ruled for centuries or the new Sith Empire whose conquest of the Turians had been swift and brutal? Yet…hadn't the Turian Hierarchy government officially surrendered? Hadn't they been dissolved as a sovereign entity? Hadn't the Sith Empire already assimilated most of the running government into itself, becoming the State in the process?

As a Turian, he had been taught that a good Turian always gave them self up for the state. They thought about the well being of the government. The well being of society as a whole. It had given them a strong and hardy military doctrine and nature in general. Turians, whether they were from the same family or not had generally come closer as a race because of this attitude and were oftentimes quite friendly with one another; always willing to help out those in need and in turn receive aid when they were the ones in need.

As the pilot thought to himself, what he was supposed to do, he looked at himself and saw his suit, which bore the symbol for the Sith Empire, and the machine he was in, the epitome of the Sith Empire's new war machine. The pilot steeled himself.

"_I-I'm sorry man. Please…PLEASE FORGIVE ME!_" the pilot raised his Zaku's machine gun and took aim at the command bridge.

"W-WAIT! LISTEN TO ME! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'R-AHHHGGGGGG!" the Turian Captain screamed as he was destroyed along with the command bridge. The Turian pilot shed a few tears of sorrow for his departed friend, and flew off, his future set as a soldier of the Sith Empire.

The rest of the Turian Cruiser soon followed its brethren as the damage it sustained proved too much and it went up in a fiery explosion.

With the Imperial warships closing in on the remnants of the United Liberation Force's fleet, the battle was soon coming to a close. The warships switched to their turbolaser configurations for close range combat with the enemy ships, but this proved to be no true hindrance to them as they destroyed the enemy ships just as easily. Asteroids weren't proving to be much of a problem with their superior firepower and smaller numbers.

Once they broke through, they immediately made a beeline for the escaping remnants of the rebel fleet, unconcerned with the ships that were left.

The running rebels were desperately blasting away at the asteroids, praying to whatever gods were out there to let them survive this ordeal.

The Imperials were having none of that however. They began blasting away with impunity, trying to bring down every ship that was escaping.

An unlucky Centurion-Class became the focus of their firepower, turbolasers and proton torpedoes hitting the ship causing massive amounts of damage to the superstructure. Unable to take the sustained bombardment and focus on blasting away the asteroids, the ship fell, breaking apart in the numerous explosions that rocked its hull.

Mobile suits and starfighters raced on by as they intended to aid in stopping the fleeing ships. Several Imperial Interceptors fired their proton torpedoes at a Salarian Frigate, engulfing the ship in destructive blasts that tore it apart.

Some mobile suits grouped together and took on a Sith Interdictor, swarming around it and firing all over it. Machine guns destroyed the turrets, heat hawks cut apart the hull, and missiles destroyed vital substructures. The Sith Interdictor collapsed under the assault and went down, destroyed.

3 more ships went down due to the relentless Sith pursuit, yet for all their hard work, all their time and effort spent in luring the rebels to this exact position, this day total victory was not achieved.

Five of the rebel ships broke though the asteroid field.

"Where do we go?!" Thrace asked, the relief of having finally broken through not entirely having been reliving of the stress of their overall situation.

"Anywhere! Just type coordinates in!" Varison yelled.

"Without a planed rout! Its suicide!" protested a console man.

Varison walked up to the console man, grabbed him, and tossed him aside before typing in a random set of coordinates himself. Transmitting these coordinates to the remaining ships, which beside the _Sarthowa_ included three Turian Cruisers and another Centurion-Class Battlecrusier, Varison activated the hyperdrive and sent the ship careening into hyperspace.

"**GOD DAMN IT!**" Thrawn raged, even as one of the Turian Cruisers before it jumped was hit by several blasts. They had gotten away! Thrawn was furious. Now they had no idea where they might be. Sure the ships were still transmitting the signals, but those signals had been designed to be very weak and worked best when used in conjunction with other signals, such as with the larger fleet the rebels once had.

Thrawn raged about the command bridge now, acting on his fury and smashing or cutting to bits with his vibrosword whatever he could find. Everyone was wise enough to stay out of his way right now otherwise they feared that they might be cut down too.

"YOU HEAR ME! I WON'T REST TILL YOU'RE ALL DEAD YOU FILTH! **DEAD!**" Thrawn roared out, getting more crazed by the minute.

As Thrawn lost himself in the throes of his madness, he cried out once again, this time in anger and misery for his failure to full avenge his sister.

* * *

**One Week Later**

A detachment of the Imperial Fleet orbited the world of Ibonihs. Made up of 1 Annihilator-Class, 6 Specter-Class, and 8 Eradicator-Class Star Destroyers, this was a very formidable force. As to what it was doing over the old home planet of Naruto, now called Xion; well that was up for him to decide.

'Do I send in an invasion force? Do I bother to conquer the pitiful fools down below who play their petty little power games? Never knowing that all the while bigger forces have existed that are so large that they could swallow up the Elemental Nations. I wonder.' Xion thought to himself.

He had brought this fleet over his homeworld for the specific purpose of revenge. He was out for payback, pure and simple. A world that had seen him suffer for a burden he never had the choice to accept or deny was now ripe for retaliation against.

But again, how did he do this? Did he just bombard it from orbit, or send in his military to conquer it. Both had their merits. On one hand, he could just be quick and done with it, on the other, he could meek out his vengeance, slowly savoring it like a fine wine.

Of course, invasion had the downside of costing a large amount of manpower, and it would be for a world that he really didn't need. It wouldn't really serve any purpose to take over Ibonihs save for revenge, and he did have the lives of his soldiers to think about.

Besides, did the dwellers of this world truly deserve his wrath?

'Jiraiya, my sensei, my friend, my godfather, the man who was supposed to look after me but abandoned me to a life in a village that hated my guts! Tsunade, my mother figure, a woman who always had her heart in the right place, my Hokage, the woman who failed to protect me; the woman who saw me banished from a village that I gave the utmost loyalty too, that I strove to protect with all my heart, the woman who was too weak to control her people.'

As thoughts of the people Naruto knew of that world continued to pour through him, they became more and more negative.

'Iwagakure, it would have seen me with my head on a pike just for being related to my father! Kumo would made me into their slave! Kiri would have left me to rot! Suna never even tried helping me!'

Naruto's thoughts soon began to go onto the nations whom he felt were also responsible for the tragedies in his life.

"Move the fleet into position. We'll begin an orbital bombardment of the planet surface. Is that understood?" Xion commanded.

"B-But sir, our scanners only report that primitive life forms inhabit the planet! Bombarding it from orbit seems like too much! If we really need this planet can't we just send an invasion force?" protested one of the bridge officers.

"It is precisely because we don't need this planet that I'm ordering its bombardment. I'm not about to waste my perfectly good soldiers on such worthless endeavor. But, do send probe droids to these specific coordinates." Xion said.

"Y-Yes my lord." the bridge officer said, somewhat subdued and definitely disturbed with what was about to happen.

* * *

Arashi Susitu, an 8 year old boy, excitedly set up his brand new telescope. Son of a member of the Civilian Council of Konoha, he lead a very privileged life. It showed in the telescope that had been bought for him for his birthday.

It was easily one of the most advanced ones out there, with several layers of sealing to amplify the power of it, allowing the telescope to see as far out as the moon in great detail. With Arashi's great love of astronomy, and his desire to study as much of outer space as he could, it was little wonder that the boy had wanted this telescope for his eight birthday.

Looking into the telescope, the boy was greeted with what had to be one of the greatest sights of his life.

He was actually seeing the movement of triangluar shapes in space. Looking at the instruction manual and then focusing the telescope more, Arashi saw that those triangular shapes were actual space ships!

"A-Aliens! No way! I saw real aliens!" Arashi yelled out happily to himself.

This was so exciting! He had to tell someone. He knew his parents were both out late on some date, and he didn't live next to any of his friends, but the news was so exciting that he just had to tell someone.

Even as Arashi began looking for someone to tell, a meteor streaked past and landed in the center of the village.

Screams and shouts of surprise could be heard even as ninja went down to investigate.

As soon as people arrived on the scene however, they saw that the meteor was something else entirely.

The probe driod rose up and deployed its holographic transmitter, showing the entire village an image of a figure that was very familiar to those of the elder generations.

Many could have sworn that Minato Namikaze had just come back from the grave. The blonde haired man whose image now stood over the entire village certainly looked enough like him. It was the whisker marks on his cheek that gave the identity of this man away however.

"_Attention denizens of Elemental Nations. My name is Naruto Namikaze, formerly Naruto Uzumaki! I am the banished jinchuuriki of Konoha, container of the Kyuubi! And I am also the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki! I now speak to you to assure you all of your certain doom! After this day not a single one of you will survive the upcoming events that are about to befall you! Consider this my payback upon the entire world for their sins against me! If you wish for someone to blame for your future, turn your eyes onto Konoha!_"

Arashi widened his eyes at the speech the man gave. He wasn't old enough to understand who this man was, but he understood what he said.

Looking back in the telescope, the last thing Arashi saw was a green light come off one of the ships that got closer and closer until it eventually surrounded his entire field of vision. Arashi, and so many others would die, bathed in this green 'light'.

* * *

"Heheheheehe Aahahahahahh AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" maddening laugher came from Xion as his fleet blasted the world below them into rubble.

His laugher did nothing to reassure the bridge crew onboard. And as he laughed, an entire world burned as millions found their lives taken from them.

* * *

FINALLY DONE! HELL YES!

I am amazed that I ever managed to complete this chapter. I started somewhere around late 2011 or early 2012 and its only now that I've finally finished. At least I wrote a lot so maybe you guys will have something good and meaty to read.

I deeply apologize for making everyone wait for so long. I know that some or maybe all of you are going to want something to make up for that wait like additional chapters or faster update times, but sadly, I just can't promise anything beyond me still writing this story. I know that I'll never make any time limit that I set up for myself so I won't bother.

For those of you who thought I was dead, I'm not, but your nonmembership reviews didn't leave me any way to respond. Really not a good enough reason on my part though, and all I can do is say I'm sorry for not responding to your reviews.

For those of you who want a more detailed layout of the Ship schematics for the new Star Destroyers, here you go:

Annihilator Class:

General Info: Largest ship in the Sith Empire at 2000 meters long and 800 meters wide. Is capable of launching planetary invasions due large carrying capacity, has good fighter compliment, is good at assaulting enemy fleets directly, main capital ship of the Sith Empire

Appearance: Blue in color, triangular in shape with downward sloping, giving focus for frontal firepower. Command bridge is supported by small but wide tower, command bridge itself is like a square shaped trapezoid

Armament: 16 heavy dual turbolaser batteries/beam cannons, numerous lesser turbolaser batteries, many point laser defense cannons, 4 tractor beam projectors, 8 proton torpedo tubes, 24 regular missile tubes

Compliment: 52 Mobile Suits(Zaku 1's currently), 102 Mk.4 Imperial Interceptors, 40 X-Type Imperial Bombers, 8 Garuda-Class Transports/Landing Craft, numerous other vehicles and walkers

Crew: 3000 members, 5000 soldiers

Other: 3 main engines, 4 side engines, Class 1 Hyperdrive with backup, max power output 4.0 x 10^24

Specter Class:

General Info: Second Largest ship at 1600 meters long and 600 meters wide, makes the backbone of the Imperial fleet, best at ship-to-ship battles, less fighter capacity than usual, advanced hyper shielding capabilities

Appearance: gray with blue coloring, triangular in shape, flat in length, command bridge connected by downward sloping tower

Armament: 8 heavy dual turbolaser batteries/beam cannons, numerous lesser turbolaser batteries, many point laser defense cannons, 4 tractor beam projectors, 6 proton torpedo tubes, 20 regular missile tubes

Compliment: 30 Mobile Suits(Zaku 1's currently), 60 MK.4 Imperial Interceptors, 20 X-Type Imperial Bombers, 4 Garuda-Class Transports/Landing Craft, numerous other vehicles and walkers

Crew: 2000 members, 3500 soldiers

Other: 2 main engines, 3 side engines, Class 1 Hyperdrive with backup, max power output 3.7 x 10^24

Eradicator Class:

General Info: Smallest Star-Destroyer in the Imperial Navy at 870 meters long 400 meters wide, fastest ship too, great at defending against and hunting down smaller ships such as missile cruisers, blockade runners and other starfighters

Appearance: Mostly grey colored, triangular shaped, small downward sloping command bridge

Armament: 2 heavy dual turbolaser batteries/beam cannons, 10 lesser turbolaser batteries, many point laser defense cannons, 2 tractor beam projectors, 8 proton torpedo tubes, 40 regular missile tubes

Compliment: 10 Mobile Suits(Zaku 1's currently), 20 MK.4 Imperial Interceptors, 10 X-Type Imperial Bombers, 2 Garuda-Class Transports/Landing Craft, several other vehicles and walkers

Crew: 950 members, 1500 soldiers

Other: 3 main engines, Class 1 Hyperdrive with backup, max power output 3.5 x 10^24

(1): The Turians don't know the Sethelonians have become the Sith Empire yet

(2): They don't know that Xion doesn't really care about her dead

(3): All images for the ships can be found on my profile page

(4): Yes, the same Gato from Gundam Stardust Memories

(5): The image for them can also be found on my profile page

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

The Clone Wars-3 Sides

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Star Wars but I do own any oc's that I come up with.**

* * *

Xion was walking back towards his private quarters. The bombardment of Ihonihs had just ended and not long after, Xion had started to feel dizzy. Deciding to retreat to his private quarters, Xion was almost there when he was interrupted by a wave of vertigo. Steadying himself with one hand on the wall, Xion was bowed down as waves of pain started to emanate from his body.

'Wha..what's happening to me?' Xion thought to himself.

As he tried to steady himself and stand upright, he felt another wave of weakness hit him. Once that passed, Xion made a bull rush for the door to his room, managing to get in just as darkness hit him.

Upon waking up, Naruto felt water all over, yet he didn't truly feel wet. Looking around, Xion saw that he was in a dark and wet sewer with dim lighting.

'Great! How many years has it been since I've been here?' Xion thought.

Walking around, Xion followed the piping in the ceiling, looking towards the biggest ones for guidance. Arriving at his destination, Xion looked at where the giant prison gates were that kept the beast known as the Kyuubi locked away.

Upon his arrival however, Xion noticed that things were vastly different. The prison gate had become warped and melted, the bars twisted and bent out of shape, no good for keeping something locked up. The seal was completely useless.

Xion's eyes widened upon seeing the shape of the gate, and upon seeing what was inside.

The Kyuubi, its slited eyes red with malice walked right out of the cage with a terrible grin on its features. Its teeth shone, polished and as sharp as ever, claws that were as large as a person and looked capable of gutting just about any living creature were on its paws, and fiery red orange fur covered the entire body. The Kyuubi was as terrifying as it could possibly be.

Too bad it wasn't terrifying enough. Xion smirked as he looked at the creature, seeing it as no more a threat to him than a grunt soldier. For despite the Kyuubi's terrifying visage, it only had five of its nine massive tails swinging behind it and it looked far smaller than the monstrous size it had previously been.

"Aw, what happened? Cat got your tails?" Xion laughed at his bad pun.

"**Naruto Uzumaki. How nice to see you again. And here I thought you forgot all about me.**" Kyuubi spoke with so much venom in its voice it put a black mamba to shame. The Kyuubi had constantly been weakened by the Force along with Naruto's chakra and it was now only thanks to the destruction of Ibonihs, which caused a wave of chakra to emit from the dying planet that Kyuubi had gained enough strength to bring Naruto to it.

"Tch, Kyuubi, why'd you bring me in here?" Xion got straight to the point, even though he felt he already knew the reason.

"**Now that the seal is no longer functioning thanks to you blowing up the entire world we used to live on, I feel its time I relinquish you of your body and take it for my own.**"

"You, take over my body? Give me a break. When I unlocked my power over the Force your fate was sealed! Kyuubi, you've been a major factor for why my life was hell back in Konoha! I think it's time I ended you once and for all!" he no longer spoke as the Sith Lord Darth Xion, but as Naruto once more.

"**My thoughts exactly. Naruto, I will enjoy rending the flesh from your bones!**" the Kyuubi roared and charged forward.

The wind generated from the Kyuubi's roar blew off the hood and Naruto's mask, exposing his face. Fitting, as it would be Naruto who fought, not Xion.

Grinning with anticipation, Naruto jumped back and to the side to avoid the charge. The Kyuubi tried for a swing with one of its paws in Naruto's area, hoping to skewer him on its claws. Naruto ducked and avoided the blow, but had to move back as three of the Kyuubi's tails were sent his way. Long as they were, they had decreased greatly in size along with the Kyuubi and were not capable of drawing to the length needed to hit Naruto.

Kyuubi charged again, its head pointed down showing the clear intent of smashing Naruto into mush with the top of it. Once more avoiding it, Naruto shouted out "Ole" like he was some sort of bull fighter.

Unfortunately for the Kyuubi, when Naruto had dodged the wall had been right behind him and the Kyuubi was going too fast to stop now. With a resounding crash, the Kyuubi smashed its head on the wall, creating powerful boom and making a large crater in the wall with many good sized cracks coming from it.

Naruto whistled at the damage the Kyuubi managed to do. The Kyuubi meanwhile had suffered what could be called brain damage at this moment and its body was currently going through painful spasms as its head was trying to repair itself and regain control. And that's if it could get over the migraine that had been caused when the Kyuubi had hit its head.

Naruto, having gotten quite tired of just dodging the Kyuubi's blows, decided to act once the Kyuubi had recovered and tried to stomp on him with one of its paws. Using the Force, Naruto blasted back the palm, and then proceeded to blast back the Kyuubi into another wall. Another loud boom resulted from this action, and the hole and cracks made were ten times bigger as the Kyuubi's whole body, decreased in size as it had been, was used instead of just its head.

Naruto, concentrating, raised both of his arms, made a grabbing motion with them, and brought down those arms, putting Force Energy into the movement and causing the ceiling above the Kyuubi to come crashing down upon it. Eyes widened at the oncoming debris and the Kyuubi was crushed by the tons of rock and piping that came down on it.

Naruto smirked at the downed form of the Kyuubi, currently covered in rubble. Rage meanwhile built up inside the Kyuubi, being mocked as it was and humiliated constantly from Naruto's constant countering or dodging of its attacks.

Building up what strength it had, the Kyuubi forced its way from out under the rubble. Giving off a mighty roar that created some winds that caused Naruto's cloak to billow, the Kyuubi began firing beams of its deadly chakra at Naruto.

These weren't any of the large massive beams the Kyuubi normally fired, but smaller, narrower and more focused, designed for much smaller targets like Naruto. Yet, just because these beams were smaller, by no means did they pack any less of a punch. Any regular human would have been incinerated by these beams. Naruto was no normal human obviously.

Sadly the Kyuubi seemed to actually be surprised when Naruto proceeded to bitch slap every beam sent his way and turn them off to the side. Explosions sounded off as each beam was deflected, large conflagrations starting where the beams did hit. Naruto was smirking all the while as he used the Force and his Mandalorian armor to great effect, protecting himself from the Kyuubi's chakra attacks.

Kyuubi continued to be surprised as Naruto kept deflecting each beam that the Kyuubi repeatedly sent his way. It was becoming a great struggle for the Kyuubi as it saw its abilities continuously countered or bested.

"**This isn't possible! How! How can I be bested by some worthless brat! You're nothing! You're just an insignificant spec compared to my glorious existence. Even weakened as I am you shouldn't be capable of even looking like you have a chance, much less actually winning against me!**" the Kyuubi roared out angrily, unable to comprehend why it was losing.

"How arrogant of you! I have the Force on my side! What are you but some misbegotten mutation of the Force brought to life! You have the nerve to think you are more powerful than the Force, the very thing which holds the very fabric of our universe together! HAH! Maybe your hubris has finally caught up to you!" Naruto mocked.

Raising his hands up in a shrug Naruto also said "Then again, it could also be because you've challenged me in _my_ mind! The place where I'm strongest! Where I am a virtual god! The only reason you've even had any power in here is because I've been curious to see what you can do with the power you have left to you. Guess that's been answered for me though."

"**But you never knew how to control your mind before! How have you obtained such an ability?**" Kyuubi sounded incredulous.

"Oh dear, seems your battle with the Force in my body kept you out of the loop for longer than I thought.? Perhaps the seal didn't degrade at that time? No matter. You see, when learning about the Force, controlling my own mind was one of the first lessons!" said Naruto.

With that, it seemed as though the walls had become some sort of morphing sludge as they formed into tendrils that held the Kyuubi in place. Naruto then raised his hands and the water level suddenly receded. Yet this was only the prelude to a massive wave of water that appeared behind Naruto, rushing forth at speeds that could easily break bones and crush bodies upon impact.

Upon reaching Naruto however, the water didn't even seem to actually touch him so much as just surround him. The Kyuubi held no such power or luck as the wave hit it full force, blasting it back, the tendrils disappearing as the wave hit. Being slammed into a wall, the Kyuubi made another huge crater in it as its bones were broken, skin and fur shaved off, and organs compressed.

The wave had just put the Kyuubi out of commission as of now. Naruto smirked and started to walk over to the downed Kyuubi.

"Alas you poor fool. You though that you could beat me in my own body. How foolish! And now, you lie on the ground beaten like a worthless dog! I can't believe I was ever afraid of you! I can't believe that it took my father summoning a god of death to beat you! You certainly haven't proven yourself worthy of that effort!" Naruto mocked the once great beast.

The sound of footsteps echoed across the vast hallways that made Naruto's mind as a pair of feet could be heard getting closer and closer. Naruto's eyes widened and he grabbed the arm that came out from behind him in an attempt to stab his back.

Taking said arm, Naruto threw it and by proxy the body it was attached to at a another wall and watched it slam painfully. A new shock when through Naruto's system when he saw the body. It was way too familiar to him. The spiky sun-kissed blonde hair, the whiskers on the cheeks, the orange jumpsuit, short height, kunai in hand, hell even the way the body moved just screamed out the identity of this newcomer to the battlefield. It was Naruto.

And yet, at the same time wasn't, for Naruto no longer wore an orange jumpsuit, he didn't have a height problem anymore, he wielded no kunai, and he most certainly didn't look like he was twelve anymore.

As the younger looking Naruto got up from his position, the elder one wondered just what the hell was going on.

"Who…who are you?" the elder Naruto said, his eyes widened, mouth hung somewhat ajar.

"Tsk, I'm you." the younger Naruto spoke as he stood fully. A smirk adorned his features as he looked at the older one.

The older one meanwhile looked at the Kyuubi and growled out "Kyuubi, what is this! What sort of mind trick have you done!"

The Kyuubi grinned and started chuckling "**He he he he he hee, you fool. I haven't done anything. Why don't you take a closer look at your compatriot. Use that Force of yours you're so proud of. The answer is looking you in the face.**"

Naruto growled out and reached out to the Force, using it to sense what was around him. He gave a short gasp upon feeling the younger Naruto's energy's. He knew what energy the younger one used, and he also realized how the younger one came into being.

"So your just a chakra construct like the Kyuubi eh?" the older Naruto said. "I assume that you look the way you do because the last time I used chakra was around twelve, so whatever charka was left imprinted on that and you were formed. Though what is your purpose I'm not exactly sure of yet." he continued.

"I'm here to save you!" the younger Naruto called out, utterly baffling the elder. "I'm here to show you that you're on the wrong path, but that you can still turn back!"

"WHAT!" the elder was too stunned to get out anything else.

Pointing a finger at the elder, the younger said "You've got to stop! You can't be a Sith anymore! You're hurting too many people! Look at everyone you've killed! All those people back on our homeworld! You didn't have to kill them all! What did they all do to deserve death at your hands! You've become a monster! You go around saying you're bringing peace yet all I see is that you've killed anyone who's gotten in your way! YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE!"

Elder Naruto got furious as this false version of himself continued to speak as though it had any right to. So what if people had to die for his goals to move forward! Anyone who ever made a great change throughout the course of history had to step over a few bodies somewhere at some point, and those who claimed they didn't just happened to have a few more skeletons in the closet. Besides, hadn't he brought prosperity to the Empire he had made? Hadn't he uplifted a people who were choking on their own despair? So what if he had killed people in order to do so. Wasn't as if most of them didn't deserve it anyways.

"I don't know where you get off trying to lecture me, but I damn well know that I don't have to justify myself _to_ myself! That's just fucking ridiculous! Now I'd suggest that you shut your trap and fade away like the remnant of the past you are!" the elder Naruto said.

"No! I believed in everyone, in Konoha, in the Will of Fire! You may have forgotten them but I never will! I'll never back down! I'll never give up! THAT'S MY NINDO, MY NINJA WAY!" the younger yelled out the last part before throwing several shuriken that he had quickly pulled out.

The elder sneered at that utterly stupid phrase he had come up with by listening to that weirdo Hinata when she had her fight with Neji. Waving his hand, elder Naruto stopped the shuriken in midair and caused them to drop to the ground. Now, having to avoid attacks from his younger self, older Naruto watched with shame at the sloppy form that his younger self possessed. The attacks were simple punches and kicks that left a lot of openings to be exploited, the stance was quite unstable and could easily be tripped, there was very little speed in the attacks, and most moves were direct and easy to block. On the off chance that there was a sudden switch in movement, then the younger was simply too slow to actually make it effective. No wonder Sasuke had such an easy time dominating him in taijutsu.

Of course, what the younger Naruto lacked in actual taijutsu skill he more than made up for in other areas. Ninjutsu to be specific. If there was one technique that older Naruto knew was going to be a nuisance it was **Kage Bunshin**. And by gods was it a nuisance.

Multiple versions of his younger self soon began converging on his position, forcing him to actually use his own combat techniques in order to combat the sheer number that were now assailing him.

Grabbing the outstretched hand of one clone, Naruto threw it to one of the many brothers it possessed, watching it burst with smoke as it disappeared along with the brother it had hit. While that happened he also back kicked another clone hard in the stomach causing it to dispel with another burst of smoke. Naruto punched two other clones that rushed at him, and when he felt one jump on his back he turned around and let it act as a shield for the oncoming wave of kunai that several other clones had launched.

As that clone disappeared, Naruto pushed his hand out and did a large Force Push, shoving many younger Naruto clones back harshly. Such was the force of the attack that some found bones broken, lungs crushed, bodies collapsed, or limbs pushed back at awkward angles. Regardless all were injuries that were sufficient enough to dispel the clones caught in the attack; and dispel they did, creating a large wall of smoke that heavily impaired vision.

This proved to be a problem for the younger Naruto, who was unable to discern anything within the smoke, but not for the elder, who had the Force to sense them all. Pulling in more **Kage Bunshin**, the elder did heavy chops to their necks, breaking some in a few cases, causing them to dispel and continue the smoke field.

The younger, seeing that his support was getting whittled away to nothing looked to two clones who nodded in affirmation, somehow already knowing what their creator was thinking of. Transforming into two large windmill shuriken, Naruto threw them at his elder. With the smoke still covering everything from view, the younger really only threw in a general direction, but as he had hoped, the elder had caught them regardless.

Feeling a large wind come and blow the smoke away, the younger Naruto saw that the elder was definitely holding the two windmill shuriken.

"And just what did you hope to accomplish by that? Your chances of hitting me were next to nothing with all the smoke, hell if I hadn't decided to catch them, these shuriken would have just flown off into the distance never doing anything useful…or would they?" the elder said.

The younger's eyes widened as he feared that his plan may have already been discovered. His fears were proven true with the next sentence "You think I wouldn't realize that you would have transformed two **Kage Bunshin** into shuriken that would have immediately transformed back to go for a surprise attack? Come on! We have the same memories. You think I would forget how I did the exact same thing to Zabuza? Hah!"

Suddenly, the younger Naruto gave a smirk and at the same moment, both of the clones exploded, covering the older Naruto in large balls of fire. The younger was quite pleased with himself. Instead of using the exact same trick done with Zabuza, he had instead attached explosive notes to each of the clones, hoping that the elder would catch them in order to counter the first trick.

And now it had worked beautifully.

"Hahahahahah! You should have seen your face! Hell, I wish I could! You were all like '_oh look at me, I'm so great, I know everything, look at me gloat at your failure!_', well whose gloating now!" younger Naruto proceeded to laugh himself hoarse.

As the smoke cleared, and the younger was able to get a better view on his opponent's body, what he saw shook him to the core. The elder was still standing, completely normal, as though he hadn't even been scratched by the explosion. The armor held not a single scorch mark, the cloak was just fine, and; if the younger one could have seen his face, he would have seen the completely bored look that was on the elder's face.

"But…but I don't understand! How can you be alright! I made those explosions as powerful as I could. This is my mind! I willed them to blow through your armor, so why didn't they!?" the younger asked enraged.

"Well, this is my explanation on what I _think_ is going on, but it could be possible that since we are both 2 versions of the same person that the power we wield while in our mind is nullified. You imagined that the explosions broke through my armor, I imagined that they didn't. Therefore, since we both had two completely opposing thoughts, the powers simply didn't work, and instead our mind as a whole imagined it based on the real world, and in the real world, such an explosion would never have had the chance of busting through my Mandalorian Iron armor." older Naruto gave his first explanation.

"Now bear with me, that is just one explanation. The other explanation is…" and here the elder took a pause, followed with a deep breath, building dramatic tension in the younger as he wanted to know what else it could be, "…you just suck." the elder deadpanned.

Cue a face fault from the younger as the utter bluntness and simplicity of the statement got to him.

"Yes, sad though it is, the second is probably truer. I mean, in case you've forgotten, you're my 12 year old self. I sucked at 12! Sure I managed to pull a few impressive victories, but I think my enemies never started taking me seriously until it was too late. I mean, look at our fight with Kabuto. _Man that guy was an ass_." the last part the elder muttered to himself.

"But now, I think it's time that I ended this farce of a fight!" older Naruto suddenly yelled out, startling the younger. He then raised his hand in a choking motion, and the younger started to rise, an invisible force now constricting on his windpipe.

His mouth wide open in an attempt to breath in air, the younger Naruto was only able to make a few gasping noises to show the situation he was in. That situation was then made a whole lot worse when the elder decided to begin slamming him against the walls. Painful cracks could be heard as the younger was forcefully crashed into the very thick walls, blood starting to leak out of wounds appearing from impact points.

Bones were broken, organs were damaged, bruises, cuts, and many other injuries were formed as the elder continued his unrelenting assault on the younger.

Throwing him next to the downed Kyuubi, the elder Naruto looked at the beaten form of his younger self. Clothes were ripped, torn, and bloody all over; bruises were visible on the face, arms, and legs; blood was leaking out of cuts caused by tears against shrapnel and the like when the wall slamming was occurring. There were also some areas where bits of bone seemed to be sticking out, further signifying the fact that the younger Naruto had been horribly brutalized.

Wheezing from exhaustion and being strangled, the younger Naruto struggled to get up, gritting his teeth in effort. He tried to push himself up with one of his good arms, but unfortunately lacked the strength to do so. Looking over at the Kyuubi, who was stirring from its own defeat, the younger Naruto suddenly got an idea.

"H-Hey, Kyuubi, I-I know we haven't always s-seen eye to eye, but if we team up now, we can beat him! I know we're both going to lose if we don't do something quick, and neither one of us has beaten him alone. But together we can win!" the younger Naruto managed to get out, panting afterwards from his desperate need for air.

The Kyuubi actually seemed to be contemplating the idea. It knew that from its previous battle, fighting the older Naruto wasn't going to be easy, and winning was starting to prove far more difficult than 'anticipated'. Still, allying with the younger wasn't exactly that much better considering how the Kyuubi loathed both of them. Yet, as it pondered the choices, a new one made itself known to its thoughts.

The Kyuubi gave a grin towards the younger Naruto, which looked absolutely terrifying considering the Kyuubi's facial structure, and just as the younger Naruto thought he had gotten an ally for his fight, the Kyuubi shot out its tongue, wrapping it around the boy and bringing him towards its mouth.

Chomping down on the foolish boy, the Kyuubi let out a vicious roar as it felt its chakra levels begin to rise. Waves of power began to emulate from the beast as it could feel is power rise. The Kyuubi was quite surprised at how much energy that the boy must have had left in order for it to gain such power. And boy, did it feel invigorating. Soon enough, the Kyuubi could even begin to feel itself grow another tail back! Such was the power, a whole tail's worth was within that boy! Maybe had Naruto been allowed to truly grow as a ninja he would have been one of the best, but now, his despicable older self had gone on to become a user of that accursed Force.

Naruto meanwhile, looked on with widened eyes at what the Kyuubi had done. While he had obviously expected some form of betrayal from the Kyuubi towards his younger self, he hadn't expected it to come in such a…rather disturbing form. He could only imagine what getting eaten must have felt like. Oh wait! He actually knew what that was like if his time in the Chunin Exams was anything to go by.

Naruto gave a shiver of disgust as he remembered that experience, which he wasn't allowed to dwell on for long as he saw the Kyuubi charging up its attack.

Firing off a Bijudama of very large proportions, the Kyuubi was actually pushed back by the beam. Naruto however smirked and raised his armored hand up, intending to block the beam with it.

When the attack hit, the Mandalorian Iron did its job, protecting Naruto from the demon's attack. Naruto yawned, using his other hand to cover his mouth even though he wore a mask. Yet all the Kyuubi did was smirk.

Seconds later, Naruto realized why. He was being pushed back!. The attack was actually strong enough to push him back! And now, it was much too late to dodge as by catching the beam he was now unable to move. All he could do now was just try to push back against the attack. Yet, that proved harder than anticipated, as now even with Naruto calling on the Force, the Bijudama was proving stronger.

Eventually, Naruto crashed back into a wall where the Bijudama exploded with massive force, destroying everything within a mile radius.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT AN ARROGANT BRAT! THINKING HE COULD BEAT ME. HE'S 5,000 YEARS TOO YOUNG FOR THAT! Now, I think it's time I start taking over this body!**" the Kyuubi gloated over its apparent victory. Keyword, _apparent_.

Naruto crawled out of the rubble that used to be a wall and picked himself up. He wasn't worse for wear from the attack, a few singe marks on his armor being the main damage, such was the durability of his armor.

"Alright. Enough is enough! I'm done playing around with you! It's time I made you disappear into the past where you belong!" Naruto said, pissed.

Drawing out his lightsabers, Naruto ignited them both, their red and blue glows each illuminating a side of his face.

Racing forward, Naruto let out a battle cry as he sought to end the Kyuubi once and for all. The Kyuubi, not about to let Naruto get close with those weapons on him, began firing multiple miniature Bijudamas at Naruto. What they lacked in power they more than made up for in speed. Or rather, that would have been the case, had Naruto not held weapons capable of deflecting such attacks.

Charging Force Energy through his lightsabers, Naruto deflected the beams right back at the Kyuubi, who was forced to dodge them by jumping off to the sides to avoid them. Of course, the Kyuubi counter attacked with more beams; firing off many, many more than what even Naruto could hope to deflect back, forcing him to instead spin his lightsabers around in a continuous circle in order to shield himself.

Still charging forward, Naruto increased his speed in order to keep moving through the onslaught of beams. It was only thanks to a warning in the Force that Naruto managed to avoid the tail that came to impale him.

Jumping back, Naruto threw his blue lightsaber into the appendage, eliciting a roar of pain from the Kyuubi as it felt the laser sword burn into its tail.

Determined to make the boy pay, the Kyuubi sent forth its other tails to try and get the boy, but Naruto was quite capable of dodging them, and it seemed as if the Kyuubi hadn't learned from its previous mistake, and Naruto set forth to make sure the Kyuubi understood why this would cost it greatly.

Taking his red lightsaber, Naruto sliced through the tails coming his way, causing the Kyuubi to howl with greater pain, as this time its body parts were sliced clean off. Unfortunately, one of the Kyuubi's tails had gotten around Naruto and now struck at him from behind. Naruto only had enough time to turn around and bring his lightsaber up in front of him before the tail struck.

Yet, the lightsaber proved its worth once again as the tail was cut in half when it crashed into it. Another roar of pain accompanied this as the Kyuubi felt its tail get destroyed.

Finally, Naruto threw one of his lightsabers at the Kyuubi's mouth. It struck the bottom and came through the roof of its mouth, lodging itself in there and melting the inside of the Kyuubi's mouth. Pained yowls came out from the Kyuubi as it suffered another horrible injury. But Naruto wasn't done yet.

Slowly, he began charging up Force Energy in his hands, causing them to glow a dark blue with the power coursing through them. Then, he raised them up, and from the tips of his fingers came a massive amount of all powerful Force Lightning.

The dark blue colored lightning sounded like thunder as it was blasted out towards the Kyuubi at full force. The Kyuubi was actually pushed back by it; such was Naruto's power. The skeleton of the Kyuubi could be seen as the lightning coursed through its body.

Pure agony was all the Kyuubi could feel now. If it hadn't already used up its voice in screaming itself out, it would have been heard for miles likely. Smoke was starting to rise from its body as the powerful lightning coursed itself through. Small fires even started in places where the fur was especially singed.

Damage was being done internally as well as blood vessels popped, clots formed, bones were cracked and burnt, and organs were inflamed. While the Kyuubi may have been a chakra construct, it was one that simulated real blood and flesh to as close to a degree as possible.

Unable to stand from the assault, the Kyuubi went down once again. There was one major difference this time; it wouldn't be getting back up.

Once Naruto had ended his assault, the Kyuubi was a shallow shell of its former self. Horribly injured from the lightning, burns all over its form, some fires even going on, the Kyuubi was now just a dilapidated fox.

Narrowing his eyes at the downed form of the fox, Naruto stared, his mind going through many different thoughts as he looked at the beast that had been a childhood terror for hundreds if not thousands.

"Kyuubi" Naruto started "once you were all powerful. Once, you were a being whose strength knew no limits. Once, you were something that was unfathomable to me. Once, I was afraid of you.", here Naruto took a deep breath before continuing "You were something that I couldn't even begin to understand. Your power, your form, your feelings, they all reeked of evil, of malice, of a rage that I couldn't even begin to understand. And you scared me. I may have put on a brave front when we would speak to each other, but it was an act. I thought myself 'Gods, what can I possibly do against this thing if it ever breaks free?', 'How can I actually contain this thing?', 'How…how will I ever be able to stand up to it?', 'And why was I chosen to contain it?'. I thought of all these things and more. You were simply too much. When it came to you, fear, and hate were all that I had for you. After all, you were the beast that attacked my home village. You're the reason that everyone hates me. At least…a part of it. The inability of the villagers to try and understand me played a role, but so did you. My parents are also to blame, they put you in me after all. But now…now my childhood is long since over. And I have since gained a power that you can't even begin to compare to. The Force. With that, I'm nigh invincible. I can still be beaten, but that won't be happening anytime soon. And you, you're a shadow of your former self. Now, you couldn't even beat me at my weakest. You aren't the most powerful Biju out there anymore. You barely even qualify as a Biju now. All you are is a reminder of the past. So, disappear, and stay in the past, where you belong!"

Darth Xion swung one of his lightsabers up, and slashed it through the Kyuubi's head, ending the once great beast. All the while, a hateful red slit eye glared right back at him.

* * *

**A Week Later**

Thrace **(1)** sighed as he watched the patients in the medical ward, their chest rising and falling as they breathed. Blowing some of his blue hair out of his face, Thrace figured that he'd need a haircut soon.

As for their patients, they were relatively new guests that had been rescued off of the burning wreck of a planet that was once Ibonihs. The remnants of the United Liberation Forces Fleet had found shelter around one of the moons of a gas giant in the same star system as Ibonihs. It had been the place that their hyperspace jump had taken them too. One that they were all grateful for, as they could have just as easy appeared inside a planet, too close to a star, crashed into another ship, or any other host of possibilities that came about when making an uncoordinated hyperspace jump.

When the Imperial Fleet had appeared over the habitable planet in the system, everyone in the remnant fleet had instantly felt their hearts constrict within their chests, certain that their doom had come.

When the Imperial Fleet hadn't so much as even launched a scouting ship out, they felt their hearts ease up a little. Only for crushing horror to fill it up once they saw how the Imperial Fleet just bombarded the planet below them. It took them only a few hours to turn much of the habitable areas into molten slag.

Wondering why the Imperials would even want to do such a thing, and hoping to rescue any survivors on the planet, the United Liberation Forces had set out once the Imperial Fleet was gone. They hadn't found much in the way of an answer as to why the Imperials would do such a thing. Weapons testing was a suggestion, but after some deliberation, it was decided that wasn't the answer, as the Imperials would have likely tested the destructive capacity of their weapons long before ever sending them into battle with the United Liberation Forces once large fleet.

They did thankfully manage to find survivors.

One was a black haired young man who was quite handsome with a hairstyle that reminded Thrace of the rear end of waterfowl for some odd reason. A pink haired lady, a dark blue haired lady, a platinum blonde haired lady, a lady with her brown hair tied in two buns, a man with somewhat feral appearance, a man with a disturbing amount of holes in his body that they sealed up, a pineapple haired man, a rather large brown haired man, a man with a bowl haircut, a man with rather feminine hair, another man with raven black hair in a ponytail, a blond haired guy with mouths on his hands and chest; very disturbing for Thrace; a blonde haired woman with the biggest rack Thrace had ever seen, a man with long white hair, a man with dark rings around his eyes and red hair, and various others had all been rescued when they had searched the planet.

Those who did survive had injuries varying from severe to critical. Most that they found, they were unable to do anything for, such was their condition.

Others had been screaming out loud, whether from pain or horror at their situation, none could tell. Perhaps a combination of both.

All around, there was devastation. Massive craters dotted the landscape, fires burnt brightly all over, the air was chock full of ash, the sky was darkened, molten rock flowed endlessly, burnt out life forms could be seen for miles around. It truly did look like the apocalypse had arrived.

And it made absolutely no sense to Thrace. Why…why would the Imperials do something like this?

'_Who am I kidding! Why wouldn't they do something like this! The Imperials… they've proven countless times that all they are is a force of destruction!_' Thrace thought in sorrow for all those that had been lost to the Sith Empire since its formation.

All this latest action did was further solidify the fact that the Sith Empire had to be taken down. Before it grew too large. Though the latter part appeared to have already happened as far as Thrace and his group were concerned.

Still, Thrace was glad that at least they'd managed to rescue some people from the horrific atrocity that the Imperials committed.

It may not have saved their world, but at least it let a memory of it survive.

Suddenly, Thrace's eyes widened as he saw one of the patients begin to get up.

* * *

A pounding headache greeted Sasuke Uchiha as he tried to open his eyes. His whole body seemed to be in pain, and every time he shifted or turned, it felt as though a thousand pins and needles were punched though his entire body. An experience he had already had enough of thanks to his fight with Haku all those years ago.

He then heard a hissing sound as a door slid open, revealing a blue haired man walking through it.

"Oh good, you're awake. The medics were sure that it would be taking you days or weeks even before you'd be up!" Thrace said relieved.

"W-Who are you?" Sasuke said weakly.

Smiling in what he hoped was a friendly manner, Thrace said "My name is Thrace. If you're wondering where you are, you're onboard our ship the _Sarthowa_. We rescued you from remnants of your homeworld. I'm…I'm sorry for what happened to it."

Sasuke took special note of the words being used. 'Remnants…homeworld, what the hell? What is he talking about?'

Seeing the confusion on Sasuke's face, Thrace decided that it would be best to show Sasuke to help him understand better.

Getting Sasuke to agree to follow him, Thrace had him lean on his shoulder when Sasuke still proved too weak to be able to walk on his own effectively.

Guiding him to one of the viewports on the ship, he let Sasuke take in the sheer emotion that one receives when realizing that they are in outer space for the first time.

Sasuke for his part, fell down to his knees in shock. Outside of the window's, rather than seawater which he somewhat expected to see, regardless of the wording Thrace had used, had instead been greeted with the sight of the backdrop of outer space and a planet that still burned. And now, it was as clear as though he been hit with a kunai, what Thrace's words meant.

Just as he came to this realization, he was assaulted with his final moments on his world.

_Flashback_

_Sasuke looked solemnly at his current state of affairs. He did live in what could be considered the lap of luxury right now, but in honesty, Sasuke saw it for what is was, a prison. The seals all over his body designed to prevent his escape ensured that. There were now also dozens of seals all over the Uchiha District, all designed to counter anything he might do to desert Konoha._

_After Naruto had brought him back from their fight at Valley of the End, it wasn't all peaches and cream for Sasuke, even though the blatant favoritism the Council showed towards him might suggest otherwise. Indeed, while Naruto had suffered for his 'outrageous' actions and 'brutality' towards the Uchiha, Sasuke had not escaped punishment. The Council, afraid that Sasuke may try to leave the village again, and not too trusting of him anymore, decided he might best be put to use as a breeding factory._

_They would simply have him impregnate as many women as possible in order to build back the Uchiha Clan. Rather than the proud clan that they once were, these new Uchiha would then be indoctrinated into complete and absolute loyalty towards the Council. As far as the rest of Konoha, the Council didn't care._

_It was a tragic fate for the once proud and noble clan, and for Sasuke there was no bigger humiliation._

_From a shinobi obsessed over revenge, he'd gone down and had been made into a slave in such a way that could compete on a level with Orochimaru's Body Transfer Kinjutsu. And it nearly broke him._

_Sure, in body he was as strong as he could ever be, what with the extreme levels of training and the many teachers he was given in order to make him as strong as possible, but it was all for naught. Mentally, he knew that all the power he now had was worthless since he couldn't even do anything with it. All he could do was just obey the orders that the Council gave._

_Now, one would think that Tsunade would have done something about them by now, especially after they got rid of Naruto, but due to them taking over much of the trading within the village and their vast influence over the more powerful clan born shinobi, they had taken away a huge chunk of Tsunade's power and had forced her on a level below them._

_For public reasons she was still the leader of Konoha, but it was the Council now that held real power. And with their holding hostage of various people that Tsunade cared for, they now effectively owned her. She was unable to rescue anyone herself as there were just too many eyes on her and she couldn't send anyone else as she didn't know who to trust._

_And so, with the near unlimited power they had, they did whatever they wanted to Sasuke._

_In the time since Sasuke had been made a slave, he had come to regret several of his actions, and not just because he had been made a slave over them. He genuinely regretted his actions over the pain it had caused those he used to call comrades._

_And most of all, he regretted how Naruto had been banished thanks to him. He remembered how Sakura had visited his hospital room, ecstatic when she had told him of Naruto's banishment. Sasuke had been floored to hear that. When he'd left the village, he had never meant it to hurt anyone. It was so that he could finally gain the power to kill Itachi. It was his decision, it was supposed to have been about him! No one else was supposed to have been involved! Why else would he have left in the middle of the night! And now, to hear that someone else had been punished so severely thanks to him essentially… well it wasn't pleasant to say the least._

_And as for Sakura, she had just droned on and on about how that demon had finally gotten what it had deserved and how she was glad that it wasn't here anymore to taint the love that was between them._

_Sasuke had been slowly backing away from Sakura as she had spouted this off. He was thoroughly convinced this girl had mental issues and he needed to get away from her before something horrible happened to him._

_Yet just as he was about to leave his hospital room, a great amount of pain flared all around him and Sasuke screamed out loud as he dropped to the floor._

_Twitching on the floor due to the pain, Sasuke was taking deep labored breaths as he tried to gain some measure of control on himself._

_He also managed to note despite his pain that another pair of feet had entered the room, and the accompanying voice made him cry tears of sorrow…internally._

_"Oh, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. That was very naughty Sasuke-kun! We can't have you running away again! If you don't stop, I'm afraid we'll have to punish you again!" Ino said._

_'Punish me again! So she caused that pain the first time? But how!' Sasuke thought to himself._

_When he looked at his arms however, he found his answer, his arms were covered in seals; all of which still had a faint glow to them. _

_"Wh-What the hell!" Sasuke yelled._

_"Oh Sasuke-kun! The Council was so worried about you! They cared about you so much that they didn't want you leaving us again, so they made a bunch of seals and placed them on you, making it so you could never leave Konoha again! Isn't this great! Now you can stay here forever!" Sakura said, her voice becoming unhinged at the end, and wearing what Sasuke would have said was the smile of a serial killer. Seriously, how had she passed the psyche evaluation was a mystery to him…oh yeah, they didn't have those. Damn it, they needed to get those!_

_"Saaaaaasssssssuke-kun! You also have to remember, you have a clan to revive! And the Council wants you to have many wives to do it with! And I get to be your first!" Ino said excitedly, the same deranged look on her face to._

_"Ino-pig! I'm supposed to be his wife too!" Sakura said, furious that Ino was trying to steal her man._

_"Yeah, like a billboard brow like you could ever really satisfy a shinobi of Sasuke-kun's caliber. Don't kid yourself! You're a failure and you'll always be!" Ino said back._

_Pretty soon, the two girls were in a catfight with each other while Sasuke used his chance to run the hell away from the two deranged women._

_Later, ANBU would gather him up and inform him of his new situation as what was basically a slave._

_And thus, he was now just breeding stock for the rebirthing of the Uchiha Clan._

_He wouldn't immediately be pushed into making children however. As he was still only 12 when he had been made into a slave, it was decided that they would wait until he was of the appropriate age. They'd decided that that age would be when he was 21._

_And thus, now that he had reached that age, it would soon be time for him to begin the impregnation process. And despite him getting to have sex with many various girls, Sasuke could say for certainty that he would not be enjoying it. He didn't know, or want any of these women to be the mother of his child. And he especially didn't want to see the Uchiha Clan brought back only to be slaves._

_It would only bring him further pain to see what he knew was going to become of his clan, and yet he could do nothing. He knew zilch about sealing, and his captors had made damn well sure that he couldn't get his hands on such knowledge._

_And now, he just waited. He waited for the inevitable. Already he could hear the various women on the other side of the room he was in talking excitedly about finally getting to bear his children. When he looked into their eyes, Sasuke knew he was going to see nothing but the rampant fangirlism that had driven them all to madness._

_Not even the freakish amount of shaking, crumbling house, and panicked cries of all the girls in the next room over could brought him any comfort._

…_Wait…what?_

_Sasuke looked around startled, for indeed everything was coming down around him._

_He didn't even have enough time to dodge as his roof collapsed on top of him._

_Flashback End_

As Sasuke came out of his flashback, he realized that he was breathing heavily and that sweat was running down his face…from his eyes. It was sweat damn it! Uchiha men don't cry!

Taking his time to gather himself, Sasuke slowly pushed himself back onto his feet.

Thrace meanwhile looked on in sympathy for Sasuke. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through, but he figured that such would be the impact of having your homeworld destroyed.

About to place his hand on Sasuke's shoulder in a manner of reassurance, Thrace thought about it and reconsidered. He didn't know this man and it may be taken as more of a pitying gesture rather than one of understanding. After all, while Thrace's homeworld and the new Imperial Capital Coranda may not have been destroyed, he bet it was being changed in such a way that he wouldn't even be able to call it home anymore. So in a way, he had lost his homeworld too, but he felt that considering Sasuke's had been put to the torch, trying to empathize may only backfire.

"So, what happens now?" Sasuke said in a somewhat hollow voice, the recent memories and knowledge having taken a ton out of him.

"Now we wait for the other survivors to wake up, explain the situation to them, and tell you who destroyed your homeworld. And then, we work together, and make the monster who did this pay." Thrace said, determination coursing through out him. He knew now more than ever that taking down Xion was a righteous cause.

* * *

"Interesting." Xion said as he looked over the AAR's **(2)** in front of him.

These AAR's were part of a cache of Forbidden Knowledge that the Sethelonian Royalty had locked up under such tight encryption keys within the Royal Vaults that even with all the best hackers hacking away at the terminals, it still had taken them months to unlock the data.

And he could see why they had hidden away this knowledge.

These AAR's talked of events that had happened around four thousand years ago during the beginning of the Sethelonian Kingdom when had decided on a campaign of conquest of the southern regions beyond their borders of the northern west galaxy several decades after their formation.

Sadly for the Sethelonians, this campaign ended in a complete and utter disaster. It was easily one of the largest crises of the Kingdom ever, and it seemed to have led to civil wars that racked the Sethelonian Kingdom for 200 years.

Half of the total military strength of the Sethelonian Kingdom had been called forth for this conquest. Initially they had actually done very well, as the AAR's recorded of how the early months saw the rapid takeover of dozens of planets and the introduction of new alien species. It didn't last however, as 8 months into the campaign was when the disaster struck.

They met an alien species known as the Caracon **(3)**, and the reports indicated that they had used powerful 'magics' against the Sethelonian forces. This meant that the Caracon were Force users, and very powerful ones at that if they were capable of crushing half of the total Sethelonian Kingdom's forces.

This was a huge problem.

But it was also an opportunity.

Contact between the two sides after that event had trickled to a bare minimum for a few centuries and then ceased altogether.

Thanks to this total lack of communication Xion was hoping that feelings between the two would have softened up over the millennia; and if he was lucky enough forgotten altogether.

Looking at the planets where the Sethelonian forces recorded their fights with the Caracon, Xion noted that initially, the Sethelonians were winning at first, even with the Caracon using their Force powers.

He also noted however that those victories for the Sethelonians never amounted to much. They never dealt any crushing blows, took a world that was invaluable, or gained any additional intelligence beyond what they witnessed on the battlefield about their enemy.

For all the planets they took, the Sethelonians Xion noted got drawn deeper and deeper into Caracon territory. And it seemed that their supply lines started reaching a breaking point. However it seemed that the Sethelonians actually came close to achieving a massive victory when they assaulted the Caracon's home planet.

The Caracon had made a blunder by spreading their forces too thin in order to constantly fool the Sethelonians into constantly attacking unimportant targets and further spreading their lines and forces.

Thanks to a lucky break by some surveillance teams listening in to Caracon communications they discovered the location of their homeworld. Immediately Sethelonian forces mustered up for the massive assault that they were sure would break the Caracon spirit.

Alarmed by this development once the Caracon heard of it, they immediately started sending the entirety of their forces to defend their homeworld.

With the Sethelonian and Caracon forces gathering up their full strengths for one battle, the fight for the Caracon homeworld would decide who would win.

And at that final battle, a massive and crushing defeat occurred for the entire Sethelonian military there. With the near entirety of the attacking forces crushed, the Sethelonian Kingdom withdrew all military forces from their newly conquered worlds and abandoned them completely.

The records from survivors of the final battle said that there had been a massive storm which had overtaken the space surrounding the Caracon homeworld that had proceeded to destroy everything in sight.

The storm left the world and the Caracon fleet untouched, but the Sethelonians were nearly wiped out to the last.

After that, the rest was history…or Forbidden Knowledge at any rate.

Xion had taken to comparing the map records of the campaign with the maps that Revan had made of the Unknown Regions.

Revan's maps were much more detailed and held a larger area of the Unknown Regions mapped out, larger than even Xion expected. The near entirety of the northern galaxy save for a few of its most eastern parts had been mapped out by Revan.

_'_He certainly was busy.' Xion thought about Revan and the time he spent exploring the Unknown Regions after leaving the Republic.

Once he had compared the two maps together, Xion felt as though he had an appropriate location for the Caracon homeworld.

And now, time for a little trip.

* * *

**Location:** Xiamolokalania- Caracon Homeworld

Xion looked at the…extraordinarily difficult to pronounce homeworld of the Caracon.

On board the Annhilator-Class Star Destroyer _Exterminatus_, Xion could see that the planet looked to be a combination of various greens and blues which mixed artistically well together, with the white colored clouds occasionally blocking off the planet below. The planet was also much more massive than any other Xion had seen. It easily looked to be three times bigger than Coranda! And, Xion suspected that the gravity was also going to be much larger too.

When the Star Destroyer had entered the planet's star system from hyperspace, it had immediately been set upon by a fleet of much smaller ships.

It was only thanks to Xion immediately ordering his bridge crew to send out a signal broadcasting his intent for peaceful negotiations and himself openly exposing his own peaceful intentions through the Force that prevented them from being fired upon immediately. From what Xion could tell from the many warships which orbited Xiamolokalania in various fleet formations and the general feeling of unease, fear, and other high strung emotions he sensed from the planet below, the Caracon seemed to be in a state of conflict right now.

Suddenly, the vidscreen activated as the bridge crew patched in a message that was being transmitted from one of the Caracon's ships.

The image that greeted them was that of an alien with a face that was a cross between humanoid and reptilian. It certainly had the face shape of a humanoid, but that face was covered in scales of a blue color with two small horns atop its forehead, with darker blue hair, and finally yellow slit eyes.

The being looked male, and the voice confirmed it "Unknown vessel. Note that you are in a region that is forbidden to outsiders. You bring forth a message of peace, and your thoughts on it seem genuine, which is why we have not attacked, but even so, we can't just simply let you enter this system. Not until were are absolutely positive of your purpose here."

Xion smirked, Revan's mask resting on the armrest next to him allowing for the Caracon to see his face fully, and then reached out with the Force and spoke into the Caracon's mind directly 'Trust me when I say that I am no threat to you at all in the conventional sense. Attacking you would serve me no purpose. I simply wish to ally with you, and if the surrounding atmosphere is any clue, you need some allies.'

The Caracon's eyes widened in surprise as he heard Xion's voice in his head.

'You are strong in the Force. I had thought that our previous ability to sense your emotions was because you were so open with them, but now I see that that is not the case. You were merely broadcasting them.' the Caracon thought back.

"Correct." Xion spoke with his voice, confusing his crew as they were unaware of the mental conversation.

The Caracon on the screen narrowed his eyes and said "I hope you realize that now we can't let you leave, correct?"

"Of course." Xion nodded as the rest of his men tensed up.

"Until we have truly determined your reasons for coming here, you will remain our prisoners." the Caracon on the vidscreen said.

"Well then, please feel free to board my ship and investigate yourself if you must. I offer no resistance. After all, I want this over with as quickly as possible." Xion said.

"We will see." the Caracon said.

* * *

After a thorough check by the Caracon boarding party through the minds off all, even though Darth Xion, though they noticeably had great troubles with him, they ascertained that the newcomers posed no threat.

Or at least, no threat that they had any chance of finding.

They had been given suits and told to put them on over their outfits. The suits were a silvery gray and were rather big and bulky. The soldiers had been rather reluctant to put them on, but had done so anyways, with a lot of complaints. Even Xion had been hesitant to wear them at first, mostly due to their discomfort, but had eventually put them on; after which Xion walked over to a transport along with his small contingent of Sith Troopers.

The transport lifted up and blasted out of the ventral hanger bay, heading down towards the planet below. The Caracon had given specific instructions for where their transport was supposed to land.

As they entered the atmosphere the sky changed from the pitch black of space to the blue of the ozone, passed down white clouds, and finally soared over the planet itself.

It was a stunning sight to see, especially the capital. The soldiers looked out of their view port over at the vast, lush, and vibrant jungle that surrounded the place. The capital itself was a massive city that seemed to overflow with energy.

Strong walls surrounded it, with many strong and heavily armed sentries standing guard, and the city itself was filled with buildings that were of an architecture that seemed to emphasize a mixture of technology and nature with at times, cold hard stone and metal structures rising out of the ground, yet natural plant growths such as trees, flowers, and the like all seemed to grow from them, one slowly fading into the other.

The transport flew over to the center of the city where three massive ziggurats rested atop a large square base that rose up hundreds of feet allowing the ziggurats to tower over the rest of the city. On each ziggurat, four pillars, one on each side, rose up from their bodies. On top of these ziggurats, the left ones peak glowed with a whitish glow, while the right one held a dark glow, and the middle one's peak glowed with a symphony of lights.

"My god, that thing is large enough to rival the Imperial Citadel!" one of the troopers exclaimed upon seeing the place.

As the transport landed in a hangar bay of the area, several armed figures were already approaching it.

Once Xion had walked out along with several accompanying troopers, one of the greeting party members, female Xion noted, spoke to them "This is the Albakno La Monolakokawan **(4)** one of the most secure and holiest places on the entire planet. I trust you realize what will happen to you should you cause trouble here?"

"Of course. Now, shall you be leading the way, or will you just tell me where to go?" Xion said, pleasant voice, aura, and all, causing the female blush at her own rather blunt greeting.

"N-No, we will guide you to a meeting hall." the female said and turned around, leading Xion and his group inside the center ziggurat and eventually into a very nice looking room with a fountain in the center of it and various soft chairs and couches. While they were traveling there however, Xion noticed something that was very surprising. Along the walls, there were many pictures depicting scenes of a man in robes teaching what looked to be a large group of Caracon. Xion noted that the scenes of familiar powers being used indicated that this man was teaching them the Force. What truly struck Xion was the man's face. It was Revan's face! He'd recognize it anywhere. The man who had given him the power needed to make the galaxy a better place. The man who had taken in and sheltered him when his own people betrayed and abandoned him. Even if it had only been a mere memory of the man, Naruto had forged a great bond with him, and it had hurt him to have to destroy his holocron.

So when he saw images of Revan on what were obviously very important images that were held in what seemed to be the Caracon's governmental HQ you bet he was surprised; though he hid it well enough. Admittedly this was made easier by the fact he was still in a suit that covered up most of his body.

Eventually, another Caracon, followed by a guard of two came into the meeting room and sat across from Xion.

This one possessed scales colored a deep black, and fiery red long hair, and what Xion noticed on all of the species, wings that were folded on the back to look like a cape, and a tail, with this one also having red fur on it as well. It had a far more human look to it than some of its kind, and it possessed a powerful aura and a handsome look about itself. This being also wore robes and armor similar to that worn by what Xion recognized as Dark Jedi from his lessons with Revan. In fact, a lot of similarities were found with what few Caracon Xion had seen and the Jedi culture as far as clothing went.

Hell, he even saw lightsaber hilts on the belts of some!

And this black Caracon seemed to carry six regular lightsaber hilts, another one twice as long meaning a double-bladed lightsaber, one only slightly longer than the others, and one that was rectangular in shape rather than the typical cylindrical style.

"So, you are the powerful Force user that I have been warned about. Well, you said you had peaceful intentions, so mind telling me what those are?" he said in what Xion noted, was a rather young voice.

"Yes, I've come for the purpose of an alliance. I've sensed that nearly your entire species is strong in the Force, and if I'm not mistaken, then I think our two civilizations might be…brothers of a sorts." Xion said.

"Oh?" the Caracon raised one eyebrow in question.

"Yes, you see, I feel that both of us share a rather deep connection with Revan." said Xion.

"The Great Teacher? By the Force, how would we share a connection over him! He came to us some 4,000 years ago! Even if he also came to your people, I have doubts that with so much time and so little interaction that is a strong enough claim for an alliance. You clearly want us for our power, now the question is why?" the Caracon stated.

"What you said is true enough, though I must say that my contact with Revan was much more recent than several millennia ago. I was taught by a holocron of him tha-" Xion got no further as the Caracon had suddenly seized him by the shoulders and had an excited look in its eye, startling Xion's guards and causing them to raise their weapons at the offender.

"You found an artifact of The Great Teacher! Is it with you? Does it still work! Oh how does he look? Is he tall? Does he have black hair, or is it blonde? Oh come on tell me!" and thus Xion was pestered with questions by the now overenthusiastic being.

Xion's guards were unsure of what to do, and the Caracon's guards seemed to also be enraptured as their leader was with any news on Revan.

"I-I-I-It-t's go-on-on-one now!" Xion tried to say as the Caracon had taken to shaking him back and forth.

"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED TO IT!" the black Caracon screamed.

"I destroyed it!" Xion yelled out right before he realized that that might not have been the best thing to say.

A sudden cold fury descended upon their hosts, the guards' eyes narrowed and they gripped their lightsabers in anger, the black Caracon meanwhile seemed to grow a deathly aura about himself.

"_You…_YOU DESTROYED IT! A PRICELESS ICON OF REVAN! THE GREATEST FORCE USER OF ALL TIMES! YOU DARE TO COME SPEAKING OF AN ALLIANCE AND THEN SPIT UPON ME WITH THIS NEWS!"

"Hey, he asked me to! He was 4000 years old too, so I can't really blame him either!" Xion said hurriedly, trying to prevent this situation from deteriorating into all out war.

Some of his words seemed to reach through to their hosts, who as one seemed to go back to their more polite and cordial selves, though this time there was an abashed air about them.

"Ehm, my a-apologies, you should never have had to see that. Regardless of how this affects us, the holocron was yours and you had the rights to do with it as you wished, even… _destroy it_." here the black Caracon took a deep breath before continuing "Even more so if the holocron itself requested it." the black Caracon said, ashamed of himself.

Xion nodded, excusing the act, if Revan was this important to their culture then he reasoned that would be a typical response.

Xion's Sith Troopers once more lowered their weapons, but a few now began spreading out to more effectively cover the room and the Caracon and several others moved closer to Xion so that they could protect their lord quicker, the trust in their alien hosts dropping further and further.

Sensing the rising tensions in the room, Xion decided to get back to the topic "Well now, again the purpose of my visit here is to form an alliance with your people. You see, I am the ruler of the Sith Empire, Darth Xion. And for the most part things are going great…except for one thing. You see, for a Sith Empire, it lacks one major component, Sith. And that's where you guys come in. If you were to join up with me in an alliance at least, I'd have temporarily solved my Force users problem. Of course this won't be just a one way deal. If you have any demands, I'd like to hear them."

"Sith…you're telling me you're Sith." the black Caracon said.

'Oh great.' Xion thought to himself, having jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to be luring your young and impressionable ones over to the dark side! I just want you to fight for me is all! Whatever your inclination with the Force is it's no problem with me! I myself favor a healthy mix of both sides!" Xion said, trying to salvage this situation.

"You're a Sith Emperor. Hm, I'm sorry, but this complicates things." said the black Caracon.

'Of course.' Xion thought.

"You see, we've been at war with the Sith for the last 4,000 years. I'm afraid that any sort of alliance would mired in antagonism from my own people." said the black Caracon.

"But I only formed the Sith Empire a few months ago! And we control all of the known north part of the western galaxy! Where the hell would another Sith Empire be!" Xion said, outraged that there was another Sith Empire to compete with.

"I'm afraid that they took to areas that were never mapped. The southern west galaxy is a vast and unknown place. It's part of the reason why we've had such difficulties in fighting them…_amongst other things_." the black Caracon spat out bitterly.

Taking a deep breath, the black Caracon spoke once more "Thankfully though, they shouldn't have expanded very far. In fact, they shouldn't have expanded at all."

"Oh, and why is that?" Xion asked.

"Because, there is no way that the Neo Sith would have been able to expand and keep us at bay at the same time. We Caracon are a mighty race no matter what weaknesses assail us, and the Mandalorians have certainly been a great help in stemming the tide of Neo Sith." the black Caracon said.

"Mandalorians, Neo Sith?" Xion questioned warily, getting a nod from the Caracon.

"Yes, the Neo Sith Empire is what the Sith we have been fighting call themselves. The Mandalorians here are those who were originally descended from the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. They fled from Revan after their defeat in their Mandalorian Wars at Malachor V and ended up here, in what the Republic half of the galaxy knows as the Unknown Regions."

And Xion continued to be surprised by what the Caracon said. Having not bothered to at least skim the Caracon's mind for the sake of politeness he knew nothing about what the black Caracon knew. He hadn't expected Revan to have taught them about the Galactic Republic and his own history either, though he supposed that Revan had his reasons, just like he did with him. And then the Mandalorians. Somehow they had gotten here and now they had just become another factor in his plans. He had learned about Mandalorian culture from Revan, and even now he was already forming a plan for how to gain control of them.

If he was right, it would be far easier to have them under control than as just allies; and gaining control over the Mandalorians would be very easy considering he knew about some specific warrior traditions.

"So, now that I've at least talked to you about why we're here, could you please inform your leader about this? After all, this Alliance's groundwork can't even be laid out without your leader, and I would eventually like to speak face to face." Xion asked.

"Oh no worries about that. You're already speaking to him. My name is Surzin, Overlord of the Caracon." Surzin said.

"Ah, any other surprises I should be made aware of?" Xion said sarcastically.

"Yes, we're also free users of both sides of the Force, we're descended from dragons, have extremely potent regenerative abilities, are as strong as a baby Rancor, can breathe fire, and need to drink blood every once in a while or we will descend into a horrible Blood Rage." Surzin then smiled.

"…Y-You're screwing with me…aren't you?" even though the suit Xion was given by the Caracon hid every part of his body, one could literally feel the eye-twitch.

"Doesn't make any of it less true." Surzin said.

Once the negotiations had started to reach their end and Xion and his guard were leaving the room, Surzin walked over to a portion that at first appeared to be a black wall. Yet upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the 'wall' was in reality an intricate lighting design meant to shroud the surrounding area in darkness.

And out of that darkness stepped several warriors clad in the traditional Mandalorian Neo-Crusader armor.

"So, what's your take on all this?" Surzin asked the Mandalorians.

"If the offer of an alliance is genuine, then this could save us all; if it isn't, then at least we won't be any worse off than we were before, save in how quickly we may die. Personally, I'd recommend taking the alliance and dealing with whatever trouble comes out afterwards. The more immediate threat of the Neo Sith are what we truly hate. These new Sith haven't done anything to us yet either, and with our situation, we really don't have much of a choice. I'd recommend investigating these guys as much as you can though. I know that's what we'll be doing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to report back to the Clan Representatives."

* * *

Darth Xion stood looking out over the sunset that was gracing Albakno la Minasocomto **(5)**, the capital city of the Caracon race.

The suit he wore, he was told had been given to his party because of the intense gravity that this place exhibited, which was three times as harsh as the regular gravity of a normal planet. They hadn't been told at first as a test apparently. Since they were so earnest to make an Alliance, the Caracon had wanted to see whether or not the Imperials would be willing to put some trust in the Caracon. They seemed to value faith in your allies, and so were trying to see whether the Imperials believed the same.

The rest of his discussion with Surzin had gone well enough, and it seemed like they would be on their way to making an alliance. Surzin however had told him of one problem that Xion was going to have to rectify.

Ancient Caracon traditions had made it so that the Caracon would never ally with an unproven race. Surzin had said that he wanted to just skip such wasteful things and instead get allied so that relief could finally arrive for his beleaguered people and the Mandalorians in their war with the Neo Sith, who he said were slowly winning.

Yet, Surzin had his hands tied. The Caracon traditions were tough and rigid, and even he couldn't change them without having mass rebellion from the clans. The clans were how the Caracon race were divided, with every member of the species belonging to some clan save the Overlord.

Honestly, it was starting to seem to Xion that getting the Caracon's allegiance was more trouble than it was worth, until he reminded himself that he had next to no Force users in his empire and the Caracon were at war with a bunch of other Sith for the last 4000 years. Well thankfully they didn't seem to remember their war with the Sethelonians.

In order to prove himself to the race as a whole, Xion was going to have to undergo one of the trials that those Caracon wishing to be one of the Clan Representatives had to go through. This was a modified version of the Caracon trial of becoming an adult which involved hunting and slaying a powerful beast with only a lightsaber and a single Force power. The Clan Representatives in order to become what they were had to take the same test, but on a forbidden continent that had long ago been ravaged by civil war. The Force had been used in such unholy ways that the land was forever tainted. Only by orbital bombardment could such a place ever be cleansed.

At least that's what Xion was told. He figured some of it might be exaggerated, and had stated as such, figuring he would have been able to sense such a place as its foulness would have reached him. He was then informed of how there were many crystals in place used to prevent the corrupted Force Energy from the continent from leaking out. The crystals would absorb it, and have to be changed every year due to having only a limited capacity.

And what this corrupted Force Energy had done to the continent itself, Xion was told that all life there had become a twisted heinous form of what it used to be, and that all of the normally extremely dangerous beast that were all over the planet could also be found on that island, mutated into terrifying monsters. Only the most powerful of the Caracon were allowed, and since Xion was such a powerful Force user, they felt this would be a fair way to prove himself.

Oh well, if getting the Caracon's allegiance would have been so easy, it probably wouldn't have been worth much at all.

* * *

**Location: **Albakno La Monolakokawan Council Room

Overlord Surzin sighed as he heard the admittedly warranted disbelief of Representative. The Representatives were those beings sent from each of the 7 Caracon Clans to advise him, ensure that their Clans got their interests pushed forward, and acted as a means of contact to the Clan Heads of each of the Caracon Clans.

Rilengar, was the Representative of the Manocarodic Clan, a very powerful Caracon Clan filled with those who often went for a twin bladed lightsaber style. They were fast and hard hitters and were terribly strong, often capable of taking down targets many times bigger than themselves.

Rilengar himself was a white scaled Caracon with black hair and fur on his tail who wore a blood red medium classed armor and used 2 black lightsabers with Firebrand hilts, a Red lightsaber with a Firebrand hilt, and a silver lightwhip.

Rilengar was also the Galactic Basic version of his name, his True Name, or Caracon Name being Rikmenoniclo **(6)**. The Carcaon's true names were intimate things that were only ever shared with beings that they trusted with all their hearts. For one to give you their true name meant that you would have a friend for life, one that would help you no matter what befell you, no matter what your crime.

The other Clan Representatives also had Galactic Basic and Caracon names as well.

The Representative of the Xinkolean Clan, a Clan who were extraordinarily great in defensive combat techniques and shrugging off even the most brutal of attacks along with monstrous endurance, was led by Dilirin, whose Caracon name was Kiminochiqui **(7)**, and whose appearance consisted of a very heavily muscled blue-scaled Caracon with black fur on his tail and black armor that had the signs of being through far too many battles. He carried with him a large shield with sharpened edges, and wielded a long and powerful lightning hammer that channeled his Force Energy and a blue lightsaber with a Praetor-hilt.

The Representative of the Quliknobaso Clan, a group of Caracon who specialized in speed and stealth, using the Force to blend in with shadow and mask nearly all of their movements or confuse and warp the minds of their enemies, was named Damokas, and her Caracon name was Satilamokada **(8)**. She was a slim purple-scaled woman with long red hair and red fur on her tail and she wore purple robes with a light armor and bracers on her arms. She was armed with a purple double-bladed lightsaber with a Guardian hilt and a red dual-phase lightsaber.

The Representative of the Humosaganoko Clan, Caracon who took to the art of healing, whether it lay on the Dark or Light Side of the Force, was Alnimona, or Ynamoksanolo **(9)**. She was easily the biggest eye-catcher in the entire room. A beautiful woman with long silky red hair and fur on her tail and red scaled skin with a light shine that was so smooth and fitted in such a way as to not even look like scales. She wore pure white robes that hugged her body, showing off her magnificent curves and extenuating her beauty as a healer. She only carried with her one weapon, a low powered yellow-bladed lightsaber with a consul hilt.

The Representative of the Tekamonokasuda Clan, a clan of Caracon dedicated to combining the arts of the Force with technology and science, was called Talvanis or Wohamotiksonka **(10)** in Caracon. He was a somewhat scrawny green-scaled Caracon with blue hair and fur on his tail. He wore an oversized white lab coat that covered up most of his body except for his wings and made him seem even scrawnier. He was equipped with a yellow lightsaber that had an adjudicator hilt and a plasma pistol.

The Representative of the Samoquihonasimoto Clan, a clan of Sith Beast Riders and Alchemists, was Gaganious or Kamidolasomokta in Caracon **(11)**. He was a blue-scaled Caracon with wild white hair that looked as though it was in a permanent state of being tossed up by the wind and white fur on his tail. He had on a rancor hide formed into a cape, with a tunic that had the skulls of various creatures tied onto it, roughspun pants and boots. He was armed with a green lightsaber with an arbiter-hilt, an orange lightwhip, and a green lightclub.

The final Representative was of the Siclemital Clan. This was a clan that specialized in complete study of the Force. They delved into the deepest parts of the Force that they could possibly go, and as a result, had gained a near insatiable thirst for knowledge of any sort. Their Representative was called Endagin or Etmikitmeno **(12)**. He was a slim red-scaled Caracon with black hair and fur on his tail. He wore combat robes normally, but in battle opted for a light armor. His only weapon was a purple lightsaber with an adept-hilt.

"_So my lord, you think that an alliance with these Sith will be beneficial to us? _**(13)**" Rilengar asked, though one could tell he was being sarcastic.

With a look Surzin silenced him before looking out at his council room. The Clan Representatives were all seated before him around a circular table. Surzin himself sat in the throne of the Overlord while the rest sat in simpler, and sadly for Surzin, much more comfortable chairs.

"_Yes, I do think so. Their leader himself came to meet with us. That at least shows they are taking us seriously. And their leader was very open with his mind. I didn't probe too deep, but his surface thoughts show that he is genuine in his desire for an alliance. And let's face it, we need this!_" said Surzin.

Suddenly standing up, Surzin said heatedly "_For nearly 4,000 years we've been at war with the Neo Sith Empire! First they unleashed the Mandalorians on us and though we weathered their assault like no other could have, their sheer ferociousness cut deep wounds into our people. Then when the Neo Sith finally struck out after establishing themselves they showed a viciousness not seen since our last Civil War! They fell upon their hired Mandalorians as well as us! And then, they committed a crime that can never be forgiven. You all know what it is…_"

And indeed, the Caracon in the room either had a mass of rage on their face, a countenance of sorrow, or a distinctly uncomfortable look about them.

"_THE FORCE EATER VIRUS!_" Surzin roared out, startling the other occupants of the room "_That disease which has since its conception caused an untold amount of destruction for our people. In the first dark, terrible days of its release millions of us died at the hands of this disease, the virus eating away at us, making a mockery of our resilience, spitting in our faces over how useless our power over the Force was in the face of this disease! And then, when the damage was done and we thought the disease had killed itself out, we discovered to our tragedy that we as a race had forevermore been scarred by that thing! Not only had it nearly caused our defeat, but we as a people were rendered near infertile! We have since made a comeback, but it isn't lasting. We as a people are slowly dying, the virus having done something to our genetic code that our best scientists and Force users have not managed to fix._"

Here, Surzin took a deep breath before continuing, having captured the attention of everyone in the room "_We are dying! DYING! And so far not one of our scientists, Force Users, or anyone else has managed to fix this one simple fact. The Mandalorians, despite our alliance simply can't push back the tide either. The Neo Sith will beat us all at the rate things are going. Every victory for them is one we make them pay for oh so dearly, but they are victories nonetheless. Every dead Caracon is one less to help our race's survival, one less to fight the good fight, one less that returns to the embrace of their families once more. We need this other Sith Empire…these…Xionic Sith if you will. They have the one thing we all lack at the moment, fresh numbers. They can push back the tide. They can help us claim victory! But only if we let them! I know that to ally with the Sith must seem abhorrent to you all, but we have to think about our people! Plus, they are not the same Sith! These ones seem to believe in a more balanced version of the Force like we do. Plus they lack the numbers of Sith that our Neo Sith enemies have._"

Surzin looked around the room, trying to see in the eyes of his Representatives whether he was gaining any support. Some like Damokas, Endgain, and Rilengar seemed to be contemplating just why he was so desperate to get this alliance, though Rilengar seemed to be the most wary of such a thing;, but others like Dilirin were completely set in their stance against such a thing while Gaganious and Alnimona looked rather neutral on the subject, and Talvanis…was still having his head bowed in solemn remembrance of the whole Force Eater Virus he had been talking about previously. At least, that's what it appeared like. Now Surzin could see that he was really just working on some other gizmo or gadget that he constantly carried with him in one of his many pockets on that oversized coat.

Getting a tick mark at having been completely ignored by the Representative, though inwardly Surzin admired how he had managed to look like he was paying attention to the speech from before, Surzin sent a powerful Force Push Talvanis's way, blasting him out of his chair and knocking him down to the floor, sending away whatever it was that he was working on to.

Normally, after such a wretched display of blatant disrespect to his work that Talvanis just experienced, he would have gone ballistic and slaughtered everyone in the room if he could. Thanks to it being Overlord Surzin however, who he could see had a very pissed off look on his, Talvanis decided it would be best if he just looked a apologetic as he could, swearing to get back to work as soon as the meeting was over.

"_Now, as to the main purpose of this meeting. I've called you all here for the purpose of proposing that we simply forego the Proving Test that Xion would need to take in order to show that he is worthy in our society of an alliance._" Surzin said, knowing that he had just opened up a shitstorm.

And indeed he had. There was an immediate outcry from most of the Caracon in the room, the only ones seeming to remain quiet were Damokas, Alnimona, and Endagin.

Dilirin was easily the most outspoken about his thoughts on the matter "_Are you nuts! No matter how much we may need his forces, if this Sith Emperor wants to get in an alliance with us he has to prove himself in some way, shape, or form! IT'S TRADITION! AND YOU DON'T JUST ABANDON TRADITION! WE'D BE LITTLE BETTER THAN THE FALLEN ONES IF WE DID THAT!_"

Dilirin was easily a staunch traditionalist, along with much of the race. Due to their long lifespans of centuries instead of decades, the Caracon had a long time to develop a way of doing things, and then once developed they were rather reluctant to change it for the younger generations who by the time they grew up enough to escape the yolk of their forefathers rule, had become so used to the current method of doing things that they saw no need for change, beginning the cycle all over again.

It was a facet of his people that Surzin could understand, and yet hated. Having essentially been thrust into the role of leadership at what could technically be considered a teenager's age, Surzin was forced to handle nearly every single problem that his people had, and he found that many of their elder traditions which worked for their time had now become a nothing more than a nuisance or downright damaging at worst.

Here they had someone who was willing to fight with them. Sure they wanted the Caracon to fight for them in return, and Surzin was quite positive that there may be other consequences to this alliance, but his people needed it and he knew that.

And yet they were going to go and make the very leader of hopefully their future allies who had come here himself go off and prove that he was worthy of allying with them. Surzin knew that in Caracon society, such a thing like alliances, treaties, contracts, etc could only be made by those who were legally adults, and the only way to become one was to go through some sort of trial. The most common one in Caracon society was when a youngling went out to kill some sort of powerful beast and brought back the head freshly cut from the body. The other ways were either too obscure or involved some sort of battle such as the Mandalorians had done.

Surzin feared that all this was wasting valuable time. The trust test with the anti-gravity suits was one thing, but Surzin worried that this next one may screw up a chance at an alliance. After all, while this Darth Xion seemed very powerful in the Force, just being very powerful wasn't going to be enough on the Forbidden Continent or Chabusalokbaas it was called in the Caracon tongue. And if he did die, it would screw up any chance of an alliance with this Xionic Sith Empire.

Yet as Surzin looked at the Representatives, he saw that he wasn't going to be getting the support he needed to overturn the Proving.

Dilirin was staunchly for tradition, Alnimona felt that they shouldn't show special treatment regardless of who it was, Gaganious stated that he simply didn't trust any new Sith, regardless of whether they were 'different' or not.

Yet there was one whose lack of support hurt worst of all. Damokas, when she shook her head, cut through Surzin like a burning knife through his ribs. Though he kept his expression professional, anyone who knew Surzin well enough could tell that he hurt on the inside. He felt utterly betrayed by the fact that his own mother wouldn't support him on what was clearly one of the most important decisions that they could be making for the Caracon race!

Meanwhile, Endagin had stood by his longtime childhood friend; Rilengar felt that since Surzin was their overall leader, he had to make decisions based on the whole of the race and not just a single faction, so Rilengar supported Surzin, and Talvanis was just excited to see if these new Sith had any technology for him to study and went with Surzin to get it faster.

With Surzin's own vote, the decision was split 50:50, and thus it wasn't changed. Xion would still have to go through the trial.

"_Well, now that our decision…or lack of one has been made, I call this meeting to an end. Thank you all for listening to me, and regardless of who or what we have sided with, let us all remember that at the end of the day, we are on the same side. And that we each want what's best for our people as a whole, no matter what we think that best is._" Surzin ended off.

With nods from all of the Representatives, the meeting ended, and everyone began to leave the room.

* * *

**Location: **Chabusalokba

Rolling black clouds covered up the sky, letting no light from the sun shine through onto the twisted continent below. The life on the Chabusalokba was a dark parody of what should have been. Plant life had become painful and vicious, losing all sense of beauty it once had. The forests were filled with trees that had lost all their leaves, instead possessing sharp wretched thorns that leaked a terrible green colored poisonous sap.

Other plants had changed to become as murderous as predators, with giant meat eating plants such as the Chabusalokbaian Thresher Trap, a plant that was a long stalk with a large wide mouth at the top that lured victims to their doom with a sweet fruit that grew on the inside of its mouth which was open nearly all the save for when it consumed flesh.

Other plants came in the form of large throbbing pods that shot out a dissolving acid when burst open, or large flower that laid flat upon the ground, unsuspecting creatures walking over them, never noticing the teeth that lined the petals, only for the petals to snap up, impaling the victim while the flower secreted digestive juices, slowly dissolving the prey into a nutrient rich liquid that the flower absorbed.

And then, you got to the actual animals that dwelt on the continent.

All of them had been affected by the tainted Force Energies that leaked from there. Herbivores had become giants that were prone to fits of rage, often rampaging through the place. Their hides had become toughed to survive the plants, their digestive tracts strengthened and the acids within made more potent. Not to mention many had great strength or some form of deadly defenses that made them a laborious effort to kill.

And then you got to the predators, the ones designed for killing for a living. They were the most terrifying things on the continent. From shrieking reptilian-like birds to the dreaded Arugar, whose appearance was designed for the sole purpose of scaring its prey, to the massive and monstrous beasts such as the Kryat Dragons and Rancors who had been made even more powerful by the tainted Force Energies leaking out, giving them increased size, highly armored skins, teeth and claws that could cut through durasteel with ease. Then there were also the adaptations that came over these beasts for the different environments, from serpentine-like creatures who preyed upon those wishing to drink in the rivers and streams to giant Daraks, a creature consisting of a bear and mole physiologies that tunneled underground and sprung up to take whatever prey that it sensed up above.

Chabusalokba was not for the faint of heart to say the least.

"Ahhhh! I can't tell you guys how good it feels to be out of that anti-grav suit! Man, did you really have to make them so bulky?" Xion asked as he stretched himself out, this time dressed up in a simple black tunic, brown pants, and black boots.

Most of his soldiers agreed as they also enjoyed the breathing room now granted by a lack of the anti-gravity suits they had been told to wear at the beginning.

Thanks to Surzin gathering a several hundred Caracon and spreading them out over the circumference of the continent, they had been able to use the Force collectively to decrease the gravity around the entire continent, making it possible for Xion and his men to wear their regular clothing on Xiamolokalania.

"Well, you'd have to ask our tech experts for that. I'm not an expert when it comes to those things." Surzin said, throwing a pointed look at Talvanis who nodded his head, the message clear. Work on making the suits thinner!

Currently, Surzin and all the Clan Representatives with their accompanying guard along with Xion and his entourage were at a beachhead camp, one of several that had been established by the Caracon to help them keep a watch over the Chabusalokba.

"So, now I will explain the rules of this Proving. You have a grand total of five days in which to complete this trial. During that time, you must hunt down and kill a beast of great power. As this is the Chabusalokba, any beast that you kill from here will count. Know that you only need to kill one beast to prove yourself. Do you understand the rules as I have explained them so far or do you wish for a repeat?" Surzin said.

Xion confirmed he understood and said to continue.

"Good, now as to how you may make your kill. You are allowed to choose one weapon and one Force Power for use in this trial. Note that those who are using their powers to decrease the gravity are also monitoring for powers being used that aren't the one we tell them you have chosen. Also, know that once the trial has started you are allowed to forge new weapons and other items from whatever materials you may find in the Chabusalokba. Now, after your five day time limit if you have not returned with your kill or if you haven't returned at all and our scouts can't find you please realize that we will be forced to consider you dead. Now that I have explained all the rules, are there any other questions you may have?" Surzin finished.

"Nope. Just send me on out there. I'll have one of these little beasties killed in no time." Xion stated.

"Very well then. Your trial starts now! Go forth, and show the strength of your words, and let the Force be that beacon which guides you forth onto victory and glory!" Surzin called out the words which had been said countless times and in numerous variations.

Xion nodded and raced off into the wilderness, intent on finding a creature worthy of killing for his Proving Trial.

* * *

**3 Days Later**

Xion sighed as he made his trek through a wasteland that he figured may have once been a prairie.

As he moved, he saw out in the distance a massive source of what passed for light on this Force forsaken continent.

It was a mass of tainted Force Energy that continuously rose up from out of the fissured ground and into the sky, the energy itself glowing an eerie luminescent purple. Other sources glowed different colors, some a poisonous green, others a pus weeping yellow, one a psychotic blue, and another an furious and rage filled red. Still yet, some gave of multiple colors that constantly changed. All however worked in not only continually tainting the land but providing some form light, bathing the continent in a rainbow of color.

It would have been beautiful too…if it weren't for a fact that all of it caused this land to be a hell on earth.

Xion's experience with the whole trial so far could be considered something of a warm up, but really nothing worth mentioning. So far his skill with a lightsaber, of which he used his blue one, had served him just fine, letting him slaughter his way through anything that had tried to kill or make a meal out of him.

Alas, that was the problem, Xion was finding things rather easy save for a few encounters here or there. He didn't' feel that any of the creatures he had so far killed were worth bringing back as a sign of his success in the trial.

Continuing on his journey, Xion pondered just what creature would make a worthy kill? So far he had killed several kinds of beasts, all of which wanted to kill him. From territorial herbivores to hungry carnivores, so long as Xion was their target they were doomed.

A lightning-fast swing of his lightsaber tore through even the toughest of hides, burnt through the strongest of limbs, and pierced the thickest of skulls.

So far the largest and most powerful beast that Xion had killed had been a Neuzablar. This was a large and very territorial herbivore that was about the size of a house. It walked on all fours, and had thick legs with three toes on each that were made of a dense mixture of calcium and other minerals. Its tail was several feet long and was studded with four large bony clubs that could help deliver the meanest tail whack ever. The head was small and its sight wasn't that good, but it did have another large bony protrusion on top of its snout which allowed the Neuzablar to give a devastating ramming attack that was quite capable of smashing through boulders.

Xion had killed such a beast by managing to jump over its head and slice through its neck while he was sailing over it. Not that it was very easy to get there.

When Xion first encountered the beast, he realized that to just try and cut through it normally with a lightsaber wouldn't work. Its skin would likely be very toughened against that, and he was proven right when in an experimental slash against the Neuzablar as it charged him down, his lightsaber met some incredible resistance, only going in a single inch into the beast's body.

It had still hurt the creature, but by no means killed it. Xion had then gone for targeting the more flexible parts of the creature such as the joints, figuring those would have to be softer in order for the creature to move as effectively as it did.

Thus, through a series of dodges, feints, and some strategic planning involving getting the Neuzablar trapped in a space between several large tree roots, Xion had managed to kill the beast.

But as previously stated, even this creature didn't feel appropriate for his kill.

As he kept wandering the wastes, Xion searched out with the Force, hoping that he would be able to find something strong enough to kill.

His senses with the Force were all being screwed up by this land though, the tainted Force Energies interfering with his abilities.

Just as Xion was about to cease his search for now and get some rest, he suddenly found himself receiving massive feedback through the Force as something began to emit a powerful signal.

Soon, a massive wailing sound was heard. It seemed to echo all across the continent. And this wailing, it caused a cold feeling to grip Xion's heart. His eyes widened, his heartbeat raced, his breathing became short, and a great sense of despair seemed to settle all over him.

'_Wh…what is this? I-It feels like all of my strength is leaving me! What's going on?!_' Xion thought to himself as he was forced to his knees.

Rumbling could be heard all around as the ground started to shake. The wailing then began to turn into a keening roar, as whatever was causing this noise began to wake up from its slumber, brought out by the power it sensed from Xion.

* * *

The anomaly had started to spread all over the continent, and the Caracon outpost where Xion had first come was also experiencing effects similar to Xion.

"W-What the hell is this!" Surzin yelled out.

Meanwhile others like the Clan Representatives found themselves weak from the aura that was being emitted while the lesser Caracon and Xion's troops ran around in a panic, the aura practically overwhelming them.

"Sir! We're getting multiple reports of a massive anomaly that seems to be originating from the center of the continent! It's letting off a large amount of tainted Force Energy too sir!" one of the Caracon who was handling the communications said to Surzin.

"What! Well what is it?!" yelled Surzin.

"We don't know sir, but whatever it is, it seems to be breaking out from beneath the ground!" said the Caracon.

_**CRACK**_**!**

And just like that, a booming crack noise was heard as the anomaly broke through the ground and into the open world. The noise seemed to echo over the continent, its twisted ecology seeming to strengthen the sound.

Then a roar was heard.

It was like metallic screech, a ghostly wailing, and a bestial roar of dominance that all seemed to be combined together.

It seemed to deafen anyone who heard it, regardless of what they did or wore to cover their heads.

And the feeling through the Force that was starting to accompany this awakening was sickening to everyone who was sensitive enough to feel it. Even those who were dulled to the Force could still feel the unpleasantness that had set upon their hearts.

"Whatever the hell this is, I hope Xion has the capacity to beat it, because if it's what I think it is, we may all be dead." Surzin dreaded even as he began to piece together the clues from the history of this land.

* * *

Darth Xion meanwhile, due to being much deeper in the continent, was able to actually view the anomaly rising.

And it was no mere anomaly, but instead a beast of ancient legend. Something that he had only ever seen or heard about in stories. And yet, as it gave off a second roar, Xion knew this was no mere legend, but the beast in its full glory.

What had his new focus was a dragon. A fully fledged, honest to god dragon.

Wow.

Xion stood in stunned amazement at the sight. Too see a creature from his childhood fantasies brought to life was a once in a lifetime event.

For a moment he was even able to forget about the oppressive aura and clearly evil power that flowed from the beast like water from a river.

Only for a moment.

Now getting himself back together, Xion began to shrug of the prior effects of the dragon's powers; his own incredible will and inner strength coming into play. Calming himself, Xion looked at the dragon, and saw how despite the fact that the creatures on this island seemed like steroid pumped psychotic sociopaths, they were still creatures made of flesh and blood.

Yet this dragon, it was clear to Xion, was something else entirely.

It looked like a skeleton that had been extended and strengthened to look like a sort of skeleton armor that a dragon might wear, if the frame wasn't filled with a purple electric like energy. This power flowed throughout the entire creature, giving it a look of instability, as though this power might burst out at any second. The skeleton meanwhile, looked as though it were a fusion between bone, metal, and stone.

The dragon itself was massive, having four powerful and heavyset limbs, a wider front, a long tail ending in a curved spear-like tip, large wings that were also made out of the metallic, grey-scaled bone substance, and ram-like horns that were on its head.

The dragon turned to Xion, seeing the source of power that had awoken it.

"**So you are the little wretch that caused me to awaken. Impressive that a member of your species could have such a powerful connection with the Force. Dare I say, you're even stronger than some of my own kind. Nothing compared to me though. And now, it's time that I end you and calm rightful lordship over this entire world, as is my birthright!**" the dragon said, before he leaped at Xion.

Xion's eyes widened in panic at seeing the titanic creature heading for him.

Racing off to the side to avoid being squashed, Xion managed to dodge the lunge.

The dragon landed with a loud crash, his form crushing the ground beneath him and causing cracks to form where it landed. It then began to lift its hands up, checking to see whether or not he had crushed his opponent. The dragon gave off a rumble of disappointment when he saw that he had not done so.

Xion meanwhile cursed at his current state. He was currently incapable of accessing the majority of his powers due to the trial still being on and so would have to rely on only his single lightsaber and his chosen Force power.

And yet, he couldn't stop a smile that was forming on his face. He did long for a real challenge in this wasteland, and now it seemed as if he'd gotten one.

The dragon gave off a roar as it turned towards Xion, prepared for another lunge at its target.

The roar itself seemed to be trying to weigh Xion down, introducing fear and despair into his heart and mind. A lesser man would have let it consume him, breaking him down into a sobbing wreck.

Xion however had already thrown it off once and now knew what to expect. So this time he was ready and the roar didn't do so much as faze him.

The dragon then charged at Xion, its weight causing the creature to make large echoing crashes as its hands and feet smashed into the ground.

Xion ignited his lightsaber, and with his own war cry, raced forward to meet the oncoming beast.

As the two drew nearer, it seemed as if the dragon would crush Xion beneath its forefront limbs.

That didn't happen as Xion rushed in between the limbs while holding out his lightsaber in order to cut through one to cause some damage. Alas, when the lightsaber came into contact with the bone-like body all that happened was the lightsaber bouncing off of the substance. Thankfully Xion didn't lose his weapon, as that would have compounded things further, but as of right now, the lightsaber didn't look like it would be off too much help.

Doing some quick thinking in order to avoid leaving the relative safety of the dragon's underside, Xion jumped up onto one of the hind limbs, climbing up the structure while avoiding the sparks of energy that would occasionally come out of the beast.

'Damn! That armor is just too strong! Not even a lightsaber can pierce it! And without most of my Force powers, a direct fight isn't a good idea. I'll have to stay hidden most of the time.' Xion thought to himself.

Coming up with a plan to defeat this thing was proving difficult though. Xion theorized that the joints would be where the armor was at its weakest, as always. The problem was knowing whether a lightsaber would prove strong enough to cut through these joints, or damage them at the very least. And then there was the issue of what to do after he had damaged the joints. He didn't know whether destroying them alone would topple the beast or not. It would certainly weaken it, of that he had no doubt. But complete death was the key here.

Then, like a spark, an idea came to Xion to insure the dragon's destruction.

Smirking, Xion began to move towards one of the dragon's joints, right behind the knee of one of the hind limbs. He was currently on the left leg so that was the one he headed towards.

Meanwhile the dragon had taken to searching for the quarry it had lost. It growled in anger at not being able to find and slaughter its prey.

The dragon tried to search out with the Force, sending its senses forward, backwards, sideways, pretty much everywhere in a 360 degree angle from himself…except himself. Alas, the dragon had never before faced enemies who A. Ran the hell away from him immediately or B. Engaged him in direct combat. Thus he never thought to check himself.

Snorting at his apparently cowardly enemy, the dragon began to turn around and go off looking for the concentration of Force signatures he had felt north of him.

Raising its massive wings, the great beast gave a single beat and lifted off from the ground, kicking up a storm of dust and debris. Another beat had the dragon rise higher, and higher, and higher, until it pushed itself forward and soared off to its new destination, giving off another terrifying roar as it thought of the new foes it would meet in battle.

"**Hehehe! I can practically feel the blood running down my claws! And after this, I'll be free to rule over all of Xiamolokalania! After all, this new Overlord that I sense won't be able to escape my wrath! And it isn't as if my pesky little brother is here to stop me this time!**" and giving off another roar, the dragon rushed forward to do battle.

At least, that was its plan, until it felt great pain blossom along one of its legs. Specifically around the back of his left knee.

"**Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhh!**" the dragon cried out in pain as it felt a fire burn there.

Xion meanwhile gave a satisfied smirk at seeing his lightsaber piercing the joint. Trying to do as much damage as possible, Xion dug the lightsaber in deep, twisting it around as he sought to hurt his foe. Then he pulled his lightsaber out before swinging it back into the joint causing long burn marks to appear.

The dragon continued to below out its pain filled cries as it started to become unbalanced in its flight due to being attacked in such a vulnerable area.

The leg Xion was on started to move due to the pain, unbalancing him and nearly causing him to fall off. He managed to grab one of the sections of bone-like armor just in time and save himself a grisly death from being several hundred feet in the air.

He wouldn't be able to hang around the place for long though as it appeared the dragon was starting to twist and turn his body to check out the wound it had received and hopefully find the one who did this.

Seeing this, Xion made to jump onto the beginning of the tail. It wouldn't be easy as holding on to the leg while the dragon was twisting and turning was forcing him into a position with very little momentum to be gained for a jump.

Still, Xion tensed up his legs as best as he could, faced the spot he was going to jump, and pushed away from the left leg with all of his might, jumping across to the tail. For his own sake, he did manage to land on the tail, but not without a few lucky breaks such as the tail swinging closer to him and having the dragon twist so that the tail came even closer.

Alas, this also came with the risk of him smashing his face in, which he did.

Managing to stifle the cry of pain that came with it, Xion began the task of climbing up the tail and swinging to the other leg.

Once he got to the top of the tail, he had a much easier time jumping off and onto the right leg. Landing on the leg, Xion began his work at once, attacking the knee joint at the back with his lightsaber vigorously.

The dragon roared out in pain again as it felt another joint being attacked. Now checking his right leg, Xion was forced to keep moving in order to avoid being spotted, not able to nearly as much damage as with the first leg.

Moving onto the tail and up the dragon's back, Xion's luck finally ran out.

He encountered a creature of sorts. It came out of the dragon's back like some sort of worm breaching the dirt. It was a four limbed creature, and it was made out of the same bony substance that the dragon was made out of, and filled with the same corrupted energies that the dragon had. The limbs were all legs that ended in sharp blades, and the creature's body was oval shaped, with a long neck that ended with the head of some insectoid looking creature whose mouth was shaped like a cone. Said mouth had four slits appear on it, and then opened to reveal a petal like mouth, with the spider-like monster screeching at the intruder upon its master's back.

It began to move towards Xion, its legs making a crack sound as it scraped against the structure of the dragon. The creature then tensed its legs, and Xion widened his eyes before jumping off to the side to avoid the leap that the creature had tried.

Reigniting his lightsaber, Xion moved to attack the beast, the hum of his blade growing louder as he swung it to slice at the creature's limbs. As he expected, when the blade hit, it bounced off as though it had been a physical sword striking a stone wall.

Screeching to him again, the spider creature countercharged Xion and raised up its forefront limbs, intending to strike Xion. Bringing them down, the creature intended for them to stab through his body. Instead, Xion blocked with his lightsaber, generating sparks as the two weapons clashed against each other.

Giving off a roar of frustration, the spider creature pushed against Xion, trying to overpower him. It also began to gather the corrupted energies within itself and opened its mouth once again. Purplish energy began to gather there, and Xion knew he would have to make a move very soon to avoid this attack.

Suddenly, the creature felt the resistance against its forefront legs give out completely causing it to become unbalanced. Falling forward as a fast pace, the creature would have had its front limbs sink deep into its enemy if Xion's lightsaber wasn't swung up once again and hit the creatures limbs.

This time, due to the sudden relaxing that came from the lack of resistance, the creature was unprepared when Xion swung his lightsaber back up and it felt both of its limbs knocked back up into the air, causing the whole creature to start leaning back, exposing its belly to Xion.

Quick to press his advantage, Xion stabbed his lightsaber right in the creature's stomach. The belly had several skeletal ribs that all pointed towards the center where there was a large opening that showed that ethereal Force Energy that flowed through the creature.

When the lightsaber went through, the creature roared out in pain, the attack in its mouth dissipating as the flow of energy was viciously disturbed. Arcs of purple lightning came out of the creature's belly where the lightsaber had stabbed through. Xion pushed his weapon up, cutting through the creature's torso, and then swung it back down, slicing through the creature entirely.

Falling off the dragon, the spider creature's two halves soon disappeared from sight.

The dragon itself meanwhile gave a triumphant roar as it had reached its destination, the very same beach that Xion had first arrived on.

Surzin and the rest of the group looked at the massive beast with horror.

'So, it's as I feared!' Surzin thought to himself.

He realized that this beast must be the one of the original two brothers who caused the civil war that had corrupted the Chabusalokba in the first place. And history had recorded this being as Subalokadafur **(14)**, the elder brother and son of the Overlord who ruled before.

It was said that somehow he had managed to find a method by which he could descend into the far more bestial draconic form that characterized the Fallen Ones and yet still keep his intelligence and Force powers.

And corrupted as he was by the continent, Subalokadafur had become a very dangerous enemy who had the capacity within himself to destroy all of Caracon civilization if he was allowed to leave the continent.

Just as Surzin was about to yell out to everyone to stand back so that he could face the creature alone, one of the soldiers that Xion had brought with him ran out in front of the dragon.

"Don't worry guys, I got this! I read it in a book. I know how to stop it!" the Sith Trooper said before starting to dance, swinging his arms back and forth, dancing to some sort of song sung by a high pitched guy who kept saying _hey yeah yeah yeah yeah_.

"You just need to sooth it. Soothing dance! Everybody _good vibes!_ _Good vibes now!_ Watch, he'll calm down. Good vibes!" the soldier said as he continued to dance, making everyone from the Caracon to his fellow soldiers to Xion to even Subalokadafur watch him in a moment of stupefied silence.

The soldier started to slowly stop dancing as he saw the dragon looking at him "Um, guys, I don't think this is working."

He was proven right as Subalokadafur gave a flap of his wings, rose up into the air and let loose a mighty roar.

"Oh shit! Oh man, it didn't work! You guys, he's not calming down! What do we do!?" the soldier panicked as he ran back towards his buddies, only to get killed when Subalokadafur decided to fire a burst of purple lightning at him.

The rest of the Sith Troopers were looking the other way meanwhile as they tried to pretend that guy hadn't been one of them.

'Who let that guy in my army?' Xion thought to himself.

'For our sakes, let's hope the rest of his army isn't that stupid. Otherwise we might really be extinct by the end of this.' Surzin thought, his eye twitching.

'He is sooooo not getting covered by life insurance.' thought the Imperial Commander of Xion's troops.

Roaring once again, Subalokadafur opened his mouth wide and blasted out a large beam of purple lightning, causing everyone on the beach to find some sort of cover or be incinerated by the blast.

Dozens of Caracon and several Sith Troopers were killed by the attack, their bodies turned into dust in an instant.

Subalokadafur then brought his hands together and began to gather a large amount of Force Energy there. The energy grew into a large orb, glowing with an eerie purple light. Sparks of electricity raced out of the orb, and swirling mists seemed to be absorbed within it.

When the orb had grown to a satisfactory size, Subalokadafur threw it down onto the ground, much to the horror of everyone else, who had no idea what this new attack would do. Alas, it wasn't an attack, but something else entirely.

As soon as it hit the ground it sunk into it and turned the surrounding area a glowing purple. The corruption soon spread to encompass a large area of the ground, with the Caracon and Imperials staying well away from it. The area eventually started to equal the size of a small neighborhood, the purple energy flowing through the ground forming cracks as it expanded.

And as it grew, creatures began to grow within it.

Rising up as though from a sludge filled swamp, creatures made of the same material as Subalokadafur began to rise from the corrupted ground.

Various beasts ranging from the spider like creature Naruto fought to large brute reptilian-like creatures to even smaller dragons dragged themselves out, their wails combining together to form a chorus or of tormented voices.

"Soldiers, form up into defensive ranks!" the Imperial Commander yelled out immediately. Now that there was a threat that the Imperials could focus on, their training came back to the forefront and they became disciplined soldiers, immediately forming a defensive perimeter, setting up whatever heavy weapons they brought with them, getting into tight formations so as to focus their firepower, and getting behind whatever cover was available to them.

"Brothers and sisters, to battle!" Dilirin yelled out, hefting his massive warhammer as he charged forth to meet the enemy, his cry being a rallying point for other Caracon to bring out their own weapons and charge forth into the fray with him.

Surzin meanwhile began to gather a massive amount of Force Energy. His eyes started to glow and his body gained an aura as he gathered his power. Prepared to unleash a torrent of Force Energy against Subalokadafur.

It was only when he saw Xion on the dragon's back that he hesitated. Xion meanwhile focused on Surzin, trying to look at him with as much intent as he possibly could. Was really difficult atop a flying dragon's back when it wasn't properly positioned.

Surzin however, managed to at least sense Xion's feelings, and instead turned his attack towards the various beasts that Subalokadafur had summoned up, laying a hailstorm of destruction upon them with his Force Powers.

Force Blasts ripped them apart, destroying their bodies and burning them, Force Lightning coursed through them, electrocuting and melting them; Force Fire coursed its way through and ignited dozens, their screams and wails magnified due to their pain; beams of pure Force Energy tore through even more, cutting them in half or vaporizing the beasts. And as other Caracon began to add their own Force attacks to Surzin's, even more of the beast started to fall, the area becoming a symphony of colors and flashes, a deceptive type of beauty.

Those Caracon who had chosen to go forth and do battle directly showed off their deadly prowess with their weapons. Dilirin swung his massive warhammer as though it were a sword, smashing it into enemies and sending them flying. Bursts of Force Lightning came out of the hammer as Dilirin coursed his Force Energy through it, electrocuting whatever enemy he attacked and often sending out a wave of powerful electricity; blasting back many more enemies. Those who he didn't send flying he instead had their bone-like bodies broken and crushed, the sheer force behind his massive blows crushing the lightsaber resistant monsters.

Rilengar meanwhile was having a much more difficult time. His twin lightsaber style wasn't proving nearly as effective against the creatures summoned by Subalokadafur. As he sliced at them he found his attacks either being blocked or knocked away. Forced to go for the more vulnerable energy body underneath the bony skeletal like body, Rilengar instead began to use one lightsaber for controlling the enemies' movement and blocking and the other for stabbing through into the more vulnerable parts and slicing that way. He also managed to aim a few of his swings to hit the vulnerable areas of other creatures, killing them too as his slashed them in half.

Damokas meanwhile stole through into the shadows, using the Force to cloak herself in darkness and creeping through the monsters, using precise strikes and deadly stabs to slay the beasts. Her abilities with the Force also let her use corrupting balls of Force Energy that upon coming into contact with the enemy, began to turn their bodies into dust. Small Force Lightning attacks combined with her precise lightsaber strikes from her double-bladed lightsaber caused devastation to the enemy ranks.

Alnimona meanwhile began using her own abilities to heal those who became injured or fell in battle, saving many from the brink of death. The Force flowed out from her like a serene ocean, going forth and reinvigorating exhausted warriors, healing them, and giving them newfound courage. She also drained the life from her enemies, purifying the corrupted Force Energies within them and sending it out to heal her allies. Unfortunately these actions forced her into a deep meditative stance, leaving her wide open to attacks, which was why a sizable guard of Caracon kept watch over her.

Talvanis meanwhile threw out thermal detonators into large masses of enemies, causing large explosions which consumed the wretched beasts in balls of fire, distracting them for when he used his plasma pistol to take pinpoint shots into their most vulnerable areas such as their necks, in the eyes, their chest cavities, etc.

Gaganious meanwhile used his large lightclub to bash in his enemies, screaming out loud about the great "LORD GAGANIOUS, THE HERO WHO MAKES KIDS LAUGH! WHO MAKES EVIL SHAKE IN FEAR! WHO SAVES ALL OF LIFE FOR THE SAKE OF GOODNESS ITSELF!" …Most people just tried to ignore him.

Endagin meanwhile added his own considerable Force powers along with Surzin's, ripping apart the wailing creatures with the telekinetic powers of the Force, or throwing large rocks at them, making the earth explode where they walked, or crushing them into tiny bits. Miniature tornadoes of lightning were formed as he swirled the Force around into currents of wind, filling them with the destructive power of Force Lightning.

The Sith Troopers meanwhile got in their share of kills as well. While they may not have had the great strength or reflexes of the Caracon, they were by no means weak. Their blaster rifles fired as one into large masses of the monsters, the lasers using numbers to their strength while attacking so that while many bounced off of their bone-like skeleton bodies, other shots entered in through the openings, causing damage and wounding the creatures. Gatling Guns had also been set up, adding their weight to the fire and belching out large numbers of laser bolts into the enemy. More accurate sniper rounds killed off more creatures as well, the snipers taking their time to insure each shot was as lethal as it could be. Rocket launchers were used to great effect to take out many of the wounded creatures, and one soldier even carried with them a high powered repeating double twin barreled sub-cannon. The weapon was heavy, forcing the Sith trooper to hold it with both hands and carry nothing else, but its power was such that it pushed the summoned beasts back easily, or in the case of those with more openings in their skeletal bodies, killed them completely.

Many of Subalokadafur's minions died in the face of the combined might of the Caracon and Imperials. But Subalokadafur had minions to spare. And more just kept growing out of the ground he corrupted.

Not to mention that the beasts that he summoned outnumbered the defenders by the hundreds. And they took their bloody toll on said defenders.

The spidery-like creatures darted forth and slashed, hacked, and stabbed with their sharp appendages, cutting through the scales of many an unfortunate Caracon and killing them thanks to surprising them with their lightsaber resistant skeletal bodies. They screeched victoriously with every kill they earned, blood running down their limbs as they hacked apart bodies. Beams of corrupted Force Energy erupted out of their mouths, blasting through the unfortunate Caracon who were caught in their paths. Those who were still alive after such attacks could only scream in agony as the corrupted energies consumed their bodies unless aid was gotten to them quick enough.

More brute like creatures who stood on their powerful heavyset two legs grabbed Caracon and often times just crushed them in their hands, such was their strength. Others used their claws to rend open Caracon, letting their blood and sometimes organs spill out onto the ground, the brutes taking great pleasure in their pain. When Caracon tried to fight them directly, the brutes often just punched them or hit them with a swipe of their arm, knocking back the lightsabers the Caracon used to defend themselves and often enough causing the lightsabers to cut into their own wielders due to the force with which they were knocked back. In addition to the blunt force damage they received from the brutes, most Caracon didn't survive their attacks. The brutes great strength wasn't their only method of killing either. Others breathed in great amounts of air and let loose powerful sonic blasts, reducing many Carcon to hysterics with their terrible noise, blasting them back, or simply disintegrating them if they were close enough.

And finally, the miniature dragons took to both the land and air, fighting it out with either their tails or claws. They slashed and swiped or swung and slammed, breaking bones, rending open flesh, and causing screams as they brutally killed of their foes. Some engaged in aerial duels with the Caracon, both groups flying around each other as they tried to score kills on one another. And others used the same lightning breath attack that Subalokadafur used, incinerating many with their deadly lightning.

The Imperials managed to take no casualties save for the initial ones from Subalokadafur's attack since they were all providing long range support. But if things continued in this manner, it wouldn't be long before they would run out of ammo and be forced to join the Caracon in close combat. And unfortunately for them, they simply did not possess the much superior reflexes and strengths that the Caracon had.

While the battle down below was going on, Xion was still climbing around on Subalokadafur, now going for the fourth and final joint on his left elbow. The great dragon meanwhile was trying with all his might to squash Xion with his hands.

Having continued his work while the battle had started, Xion had managed to get down towards the right elbow joint and do some major damage to it before Subalokadafur had finally realized that his creature hadn't taken care of Xion like he had thought.

Roaring in anger at having been humiliated by Xion for the third time in a row, the dragon was determined to kill Xion, no matter the cost. Using his own claws, Subalokadafur began to rip and tear at his own body. Anywhere he saw Xion became a target for his attack. He ignored the pain that came forth from inflicting injuries on his own body, his own claws being made of the same bone-metal substance that his skeletal form was made of, but much sharper and more focused and thus being capable of cutting through even his nigh invincible armor.

Xion meanwhile, even though he was playing the fates far too closely, couldn't help but laugh. Honestly, at this rate the beast would kill himself!

Alas, Xion it seemed had run out of luck when a particularly powerful swing of Subalokadafur's left arm combined with a rather loose piece of bone he was climbing on all served to fling Xion off of the dragon's body.

Eyes widened as Xion looked down for but a moment and felt a pit in his stomach drop. He knew that with the height he was at he would die if he fell. Subalokadafur it seemed wouldn't be satisfied with that though as he grabbed Xion with a wave of his massive hand.

"Ack!" Xion cried out as spittle flew from his mouth. The force that he had been caught with had been enough to drive the air from his lungs and leave him breathless.

"**Ah! Hehehehe! I've found you, you little wretch! After the pain and humiliation you've caused me I can't wait to personally end your life! A mere human, managing to wound me as you have! There's just no way I can let that stand! Now…scream for me! I wish to enjoy your cries of torment!**"

And here Subalokadafur began to squeeze slowly on Xion, his left hand slowly tightening on his body. Xion began to grit his teeth in pain as he felt his body being compressed. He could slowly but surely feel his ribs starting to be pushed inwards along with his organs. With nearly all the air being driven out of his lungs before, Xion was finding that he was already about to lose it from not being able to breathe properly. His face was turning blue, and the pain from his chest was growing greater with every second.

Eventually, cracking sounds started to be heard, and Subalokadafur laughed as his victim was slowly having the life crushed out of him.

Gulping down what little air he could, Xion tried to focus his sight on Subalokadafur's left arm. Raising his hand as much as he could, Xion began to focus with the Force, using the one Force Power he'd been allowed for the Proving Trial. Force Pull.

Gathering the needed Force Energy was not easy when you were having the life squeezed out of you, and though Xion managed to do it, it wasn't without starting to feel slightly delirious.

Subalokadafur noticed his left hand moving however and figured out Xion's plan.

"**Oh no you don't!**" the dragon said as he let out a wave of corrupted Force Energy, interfering with Xion's powers.

Xion meanwhile screamed in additional pain as he felt the corrupted Force Energy flow through him. Losing his grasp on the Force, Xion was unable to use Force Push to move Subalokadafur's left hand to scratch at the arm holding him like he wanted.

As the pain coursed throughout his body, he tried his best to think up of another solution. Looking at the only other weapon he had, his lightsaber, an idea came to him.

Igniting the powerful sword, Xion used all of his considerable might to throw the weapon into the left elbow joint of the dragon. His aim was true as the blade hit in a vulnerable part and sank deep within, causing Subalokadafur to give a great cry of pain. Releasing Xion, the man started to fall once more.

Looking down, Xion tried to aim for the swinging tail of the dragon, knowing that that would be the only thing saving him from an imminent death. Twisting and maneuvering his body as best as he could while blinking back tears of pain from his recent ordeal, Xion managed to catch the tail just as it was swinging up towards him.

Now that he was on the tail, he began to do a series of calculated drops to ensure that he reached the end of the tail. Once there, he had to wait for the right moment for the tail to swing so that it was perpendicular to the ground, thus giving him the least distance to fall.

_'_Come on. Almost. Almost. AAAAAlmost…there!' Xion jumped of the tail and let himself fall, aiming for the edge of a tall, gnarled, dead looking, but thankfully non-poisonous thorny tree.

He hit the tree, though it was not in the most dignified of ways, having landed face flat on a large branch with a loud 'thud'.

"Omph!" Xion let out as he landed on the branch, his voice muffled by having his head face first on the branch. Grumbling to himself, Xion pushed himself up off the tree limb until he was standing again.

Proceeding to jump off of the branch and begin swinging back down to the earth, Xion was forced to contend with the fact that his limbs by this point were burning with exhaustion. Climbing around on the back of a giant dragon wasn't easy after all.

When he finally did reach the ground, Xion winced as he landed on his protesting legs. Panting, he tried to steady himself, and get ready for the final part of his plan.

Subalokadafur meanwhile was contending with the fact that he had the equivalent of a large splinter stuck in him. Having to carefully pick at the area so as to not send the lightsaber in deeper was proving difficult for the dragon considering his massive claws. He did manage to get two of his fingers to pinch the lightsaber hilt in just the right manner and pull out the lightsaber in time. Throwing the nuisance, and reminding himself to ban all lightsabers once he took over his homeworld, Subalokadafur was about to finally go in and take care of all of the fighters on the beach himself when he heard a voice yelling at him.

"OY! YOU STUPID DRAGON! YOUR MOTHER SUCKED EGGS LIKE A BITCH!" Xion yelled out at the dragon, wondering if that would focus the beast's attention back on him.

It did.

"**I WILL ROAST YOU ON AN OPEN FIRE AND HAVE YOUR SCREAMS PLAYED AS MY RELAXATION MUSIC YOU LITTLE WORM! MY MOTHER WAS A SAINT!**" Subalokadafur raged as he opened his mouth, prepared to blast apart Xion now that he found him again.

Massive amounts of corrupted Force Energy gathered in the dragon's mouth. Subalokadafur heaved his torso up, raised his head high, and came back down with a crash on the ground, head extended out to where Xion was, letting loose a massive beam of lighting that made loud booming noises and created a deep gouge that went for forty feet deep, the ground in the gouge having become molten.

Xion widened his eyes, a smirk on his face as he started to run. The beam sailed past and tore through a large rock formation that was behind him. Subalokadafur turned his head as he tried to follow Xion, the beam moving and slicing the bottom of the rock formation.

Xion meanwhile pushed himself as hard as he could, his legs burning, his breath shortened, and sweat running down his face. The beam was also starting to close in on him as well. The sound of thunderous lightning became louder, a purple glow was coming out from behind him, and the temperature was starting to increase all around him.

'Come on! Move, move, MOVE GOD DAMN IT!' Xion thought to himself as he could practically feel his back starting to burn from the intense heat.

Subalokadafur meanwhile watched in anticipation, feeding more power into his attack and moving his head in accordance with where Xion was going. Finally, as both reached the end of the rock formation, Subalokadafur saw something burn from his attack. Ending it, the dragon let out a roar of triumph as it saw Xion burn.

"**Hahahahahahaha! The little bastard is finally dead! HA! I only wish I could have sunk my claws into that pest myself! And now, to destroy those little insects on the beach myself.**" said Subalokadafur.

As the dragon was about to go and unleash his full fury upon the defenders, a loud rumble echoed out.

"**Huh?**" the dragon turned his head around to the source of the rumbling, only to look on surprised as he saw the entire rock formation rising up from the ground.

"**What is going on!**" Subalokadafur said as he tried to figure out what was happening.

It was only when he saw Xion again, that he figured it out.

"**You! You used me to cut lose that giant slab of rock. And you gave up your shirt to fool me into thinking that you died!**" and indeed, Xion was quite shirtless right now, though the huge smirk on his face showed he didn't care.

"Well now my good sir, I must say I've had a wonderful time being your guest, but I'm afraid I'll have to end this little party of yours. Permanently." Xion said and used Force Pull to move the massive rock formation to the appropriate distance before letting go and having the rock's own momentum send it towards Subalokadafur.

"**Do you think this is it? That you've won! HAH! DON'T BE SO STUPID! A MERE ROCK KILL ME! YOU'RE BRAIN MUST HAVE BEEN FRIED! I DON'T EVEN NEED THE FORCE TO STOP THIS!**" and to prove it, Subalokadafur grabbed the rock with both of his hands, rising up on his hind legs to give himself extra support.

Yet, instead of stopping the rock formation dead in its tracks as Subalokadafur had wanted, his arms instead cracked open, fissures originating from his damaged elbow joints, and his legs buckled underneath the additional weight, cracking open as well, becoming filled with fissures. And the rock just kept coming regardless.

"**NO, NO, NO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! IT JUST CA-**" Subalokadafur protested right before the rock crushed his main body, the sheer force and the many cracks in his armor all causing it to break apart.

With a massive crash, the skeletal dragon was brought down, his lifeless body crushed under a rock. The great terror that had plagued the Caracon race from there terrible civil war so long ago now dead. And yet, there was something happening to this lifeless body. The energies that powered Subalokadafur still flowed, only now they were not contained, and they come out into the world with an explosion.

Purple colored energy blasts out of Subalokadafur's dead body, destroying the rock crushing him and making a massive crater where his body used to be. Fragments of his skeletal form are scattered throughout the continent, but the head comes to rest at the beach, crushing several of his summoned beasts.

The explosion also sent out a shockwave that covers the entire continent, and the creatures that Subalokadafur summoned feel their master's death, their own wretched lives fading away as their power source fades.

The Imperials and Caracon let out cheers of triumph as they see their enemy beaten, new brotherhoods and friendships forged in the crucible of battle.

And atop Subalokadafur's head, Xion stands.

"So, are we getting that Alliance or what?" he asks Surzin, a smirk on his face.

* * *

"_And with this momentous occasion brought to a close, the Coranda-Xia Alliance has been solidified! The Imperial people are proud to bear witness to this event, and we can only hope for even greater relations with the Caracon people and their illustrious leader Overlord Surzin! Of special note, Overlord Surzin will be traveling onboard the Exterminatus with Emperor Xion to go on a tour of our Sith Empire! We can only hope that our friends will enjoy their visit of the Empire! This is your Imperial News Network, signing off!_"

The image on the holoscreen was one of Darth Xion back in his Darth Revan robes with his face unveiled shaking hands with the titled Overlord Surzin while an assembly of officials from the Sith Empire and Caracon each stood off on the respective sides of their leaders.

Many eyes looking on at the screen could only stare on in shock at the face displayed before them. The spiky blond hair, the blue eyes, the whisker marks, those were all far too familiar to them! This was the supposed man who had ordered the destruction of their very way of life!

"_No way, there's just no way! It's him!_" a pink haired woman said, falling to her knees on the floor in sheer shock.

Most others were barely even capable of forming a coherent sentence, a man with grey hair standing off to the side and wearing a mask only able to stare off into the screen, at times even seeming to stare straight through it, as though he were looking beyond into something that only he could see.

One other, a man with dark rings around his eyes and red hair couldn't help but continuously weep as he looked at the image, a man with brown hair and woman with blonde hair could be seen trying to comfort him as best as they could, but even they looked shaken.

Thrace looked on at the figures in the room, his sympathy for them skyrocketing.

There were many more of them throughout the ship, and all of them seemed to have the same type of loss that these people had, though they all expressed it in their own way.

'It's all thanks to him! He's the cause of all of this!' Thrace thought to himself, anger coursing through him as he thought about how these people had lost everything due to what was probably a whim from Xion.

"Thrace, I need you to come with me." Varison said to him, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? W-What's going on!" Thrace said.

"We're thinking about a direct strike against Xion. We want everyone there to discuss how it's going to go down." Varison says, a frown on his face showing his disapproval of the idea.

"Really? Do you…do you think we can actually do anything right now?" Thrace asked.

"In my opinion, I think right now is the worst time to even think about trying to take Xion on. He's much too powerful, and he has far too much support. I advised that we go underground and start regaining support from there. But I was outvoted." Varison said as he began to lead Thrace to the Command Bridge of the _Sarthowa_.

Once they got there, they saw that General Ixecis was going over a hologram of a route that Xion's tour with Surzin was taking. The route had been publicly posted so that the people of the Empire could go and visit the places that Xion and Surzin were going to.

"Alright people, the best place to attack Xion directly will be when his ship is in the Soldaris System. The only planet there of any worth is just a small agricultural world, but it's on the path of the tour and Xion will be stopping there. And when he does, we'll be lying in wait for him!" Ixecis said, determination in her eyes and a fire in her spirit.

"Yes, and once we spring our trap, we'll use these special boarding pods which will be fired out from the guns of the cruisers. They have the capacity to rip through any ship's shielding, and they also tear through armor just as quick." Moltron said, taking over from Ixecis.

"Now, when Xion's ship appears from hyperspace, our ships will immediately engage it. The _Sarthowa_ will move in close and fight Xion's ship directly while the rest of our cruisers will maintain their distance and bombard it from afar after launching their boarding pods. The _Sarthowa_ will also be providing cover, making sure that Xion's ship won't be able to use its long range cannons to attack our cruisers." Moltron finished before allowing Ixecis to take back control to explain the boarding phase.

"Once our boarding teams have entered the ship, all teams will attempt to hack into the mainframe and download a map of the ship. The first team to succeed will send copies of the map to all other teams, after which we will then make our way towards the Command Bridge and confront this Xion once and for all! He will pay for the loss of Palaven! He will suffer for the fall of Sur'Kesh! He will bleed for all the lives he has taken!" Ixecis finished off with a dramatic air, getting cheers from many of the crowd that listened to her.

"Heh, maybe we can do this Varison!" Thrace said.

"Oh, and what makes you say that?" Varison responded.

"Well, this time we have surprise on our side! Every time Xion's beaten us it's because he did something we weren't expecting! But now, he really thinks we're dead this time! There's no way he'll be expecting us this time! And this time, we're going for a small invasion! A direct strike!" Thrace said.

"Yes, while a direct strike has the advantage of being sudden and hard to truly counteract, it can also leave us vulnerable too. We're going to be on his turf regardless. He'll have his soldiers to fight us. It won't be nearly as easy as those two are making it sound. Or did you forget how a single one of their largest battleships completely wrecked nearly our entire fleet?" Varison said, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Varison, if we just keep giving up after every defeat then we'll never be able to kill Xion! Don't you want to make him pay for all his crimes?!" Thrace cried out.

"Yes, I do. But we need to do it sensibly! There's no point in killing him if we die to! Or do you not wish to help Bethany rebuild?" Varison said.

This caused Thrace to grumble to himself, turning away from Varison who gave a small smirk.

Itachi Uchiha meanwhile watched these proceedings with a cool air. He had volunteered to be on one of the boarding teams assaulting Xion's ship. Xion…just thinking about him made Itachi feel irony seeping into his very being.

When he saw the holoscreen showing him, Itachi had immediately recognized that face as an elder version of one Naruto Uzumaki. To think that the little obnoxious loud boisterous boy who was an orange eyesore had somehow become an Emperor. The thought was enough to actually make him smile for a fraction of a second.

It was truly a marvel how at one point Itachi would have held the boy at such a disadvantage that to even compare the two would be like comparing an ant to a lion. One was simply too far above the other.

And now that same little boy was now quite possibly the biggest threat out there.

'Truly the universe can work in mysterious ways.' Itachi thought to himself.

Sasuke meanwhile wasn't too far off, glaring at Itachi. His fists were shaking as he fought with the urge to kill Itachi.

Sasuke had only realized he was on board the ship after Itachi had awoken. It had taken five men to bring Sasuke down and prevent him from simply beating Itachi to death with his bare hands. Afterwards, a restraining collar had been placed on him that gave him a very painful dosage of electricity. It had been placed at the behest of Sakura and Ino who had managed to convince the people in charge of the ship that Sasuke was a criminal who needed to be restrained lest he rage out of control.

Unfortunately, Sasuke screaming out in a rage, ranting about how he was going to kill Itachi, and nearly foaming at the mouth did no good in proving his non-psychotic state.

Itachi had simply said nothing, just looking at Sasuke with a calm cool gaze. His emotionless visage only served to further anger Sasuke, requiring an additional two guys to help hold him down.

At the end, Sasuke was now being forcibly kept away from Itachi, with several people watching over him to make sure he did try anything with Itachi again. So now all he could do was stand and glare at him, a prisoner once again.

Sasuke had also decided to volunteer for the boarding party, and after a bit of deliberation, had been allowed. He was hoping that maybe in the chaos, no one would notice if a certain weasel died.

As Ixecis and Moltron continued to talk about their plan, more of the Konoha shinobi that survived the destruction of Ibonihs began to volunteer for the boarding parties as word spread of the plan. Many were looking for answers, others were looking for revenge, but all of them wanted to see Naruto again, regardless of the reason behind it.

So far, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Hanabi, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro had all volunteered to be on the boarding parties as well as some other miscellaneous shinobi from the other villages that survived.

And they were all determined to get the answers that they sought from Naruto, no matter what.

* * *

**Location: **Soldaris System

"Sir, I'm detecting several energy readings that appear to be coming out of hyperspace in the system." one of the staff in the space station orbiting the agricultural world of the Soldaris system said.

"Really? Emperor Xion's ship isn't due for quite some time. And his ship is alone. Are you sure they're coming to this system?" the commander in charge of the station asked.

"Yes sir! Though, I do think it may just be an advance guard sent to insure that everything is up to standard for his majesty's arrival." the officer said.

"Hm, that's a possibility. Still, activate the station's shield generator's and request for a clearance code from them once they exit hyperspace. And put the entire station on level three alert status! If this turns out to be some sort of pirate raid I want us ready!" the commander said.

"Yes sir!" the entire bridge crew responded before transmitting the orders throughout the rest of the station.

The station which orbited the agricultural planet Soldaris, named after the system, was a relatively moderate one. It had adequate defenses for fending off pirates, who were geared towards quick hit and runs against defenseless targets. It held a small contingent of Sith Troopers from the Imperial Military but most of its service personnel were patriotic volunteers from the planet down below. It held a small starfighter complement and two light frigates for defense as well as a few defense satellites scattered here or there for additional support.

Overall, not the most threatening defense ever, but enough to drive off those who would be tempted to try and attack Soldaris. Any larger enemies were going to have to be dealt with by the Imperial Navy.

"Sir, the ships have exited hyperspace! There appears to be five of them. We're getting our readings on them now…and there is one Centurion-Class Battlecruiser and four Turian Cruisers." said one of the bridge crew.

"Hm? Those are ships? That's weird, I thought the rearming of the navy got rid of those classes." the commander said.

"Actually sir, there are still plenty of the elder vessels around, but most have been assigned to less important positions until they're switched out." another bridge member said.

"Ah. Hm…then why would older vessels have been sent? Especially for this?" the commander narrowed his eyes as he thought.

"Officer, ask for their clearance code immediately!" the commander yelled out.

"Yes sir!" one of the officers said as they went to work.

"Um sir, don't you think you might be overreacting? Sure they're older vessels, but haven't most of the newer ones been sent to areas still have more major problems? It could just be that with the relative peace of our system and his majesty's own formidable starship, command felt that this would be an adequate escort." another officer asked.

"Probably, but it never hurts to make sure. And as long as I follow procedures, I'm not doing anything wrong." the commander conceded.

"Sir, we've yet to receive the clearance codes from any of the ships! And they're coming closer!" the commander was informed.

"They haven't? Well then, strengthen our communication array to maximum output. I want to speak to them personally." the commander said, a frown on his face.

Once that had been done, the commander opened up a comlink that was capable of contacting all the ships.

"Attention approaching fleet, this is the Soldaris Defense Station, we require your access codes if you are to approach any further." the commander then waited for a response.

"Attention approaching fleet, this is the Soldaris Defense Station, I repeat, we require your access codes if you get closer!" the commander said.

"Sir, they're not responding, and we're starting to get interference in our communication's array! I think they're jamming us!" one of the officers said, panicked.

"What!" the commander said, outraged.

"Damn! So these are enemies! Activate defense satellites, arm all missile tubes, charge up laser cannon batteries, and launch all starfighters! We won't go down without a fight!" the commander ordered, determined to fight off the enemy.

Just then, the entire space station started to shake as the enemy fleet began to bombard it. The station's shields held, but it wouldn't be for long under sustained fire from such powerful warships.

Interceptors were launched from the defense station's hanger bay, moving forward to engage the enemy while defense satellites activated and turned their guns on the enemy fleet. Missiles fired out from their tubes while lasers streaked forth, hitting the enemy shields.

Explosions swept through the fleet as the met the retaliatory fire. However, they began to launch out their own Sith Interceptors to counter the newer Imperial ones, and though the Imperials fought bravely, they were too heavily outnumbered and inexperienced, falling before the battle hardened and determined forces before them.

The defense satellites weren't very powerful either, and the guns of the Centurion-Class were making quick work of what few were there. The station itself possessed only a few guns as well as missile pods, and they weren't nearly enough to damage the extremely powerful Centurion-Class which soaked up the damage with its impressive shielding.

And with the added support the Centurion had, it wasn't too long before the space station had been stripped of its shields and most of its defensive emplacements.

"Status report!" the station commander yelled out, even as fires raged all around him and most of the bridge crew now lay dead.

"S-Sir! We've lost m-most of our defenses! O-Our shields are down, and our entire starfighter complement has been destroyed! The life support systems are in critical condition, and most of the personnel are dead!" one terrified, if still physically fine officer said.

"Can we get a message out to Emperor Xion?! He needs to be made aware of this!" the commander asked.

"S-Sorry sir! But the communications array was destroyed! And even if it wasn't, we're still being jammed. We wouldn't have been able to get anything through!" the officer replied.

"Argh!" the commander cried in outrage. "Well can we atleast have any personnel escape?" he asked.

"Maybe. If they haven't been cut off, some should be able to reach the escape pods. But there's a strong likelihood that the rebels will hunt them down." replied the officer.

The commander sighed for a moment before responding "Well, give the order to escape anyways. We've lost. No point in denying that. But let's try to-" he never finished as a missile hit the command bridge and destroyed much of it, killing anyone who was still alive on it.

Whoever could escape tried, and those that couldn't died; trapped on the station as it started to fall apart under the continuous bombardment.

The wreckage of the station behind them, the United Liberation Forces remnants now played the waiting game.

* * *

**Location: **_Exterminatus_

"So, Surzin, something going on between you and her?" Xion asked, pointing towards Damokas.

"Hm? What makes you say that?" Surzin asked.

"Well, I've noticed you seem to be unusually uncomfortable around her. Is there something that happened between the two of you to make you like this?" Xion asked.

Surzin narrowed his eyes before speaking "Well…yes, something did happen. Its…I don't really know how to describe it. She's just…she acts like…well…she used to be my mother."

Xion's eyes widened, "Your mother eh? Well, I must say I'm rather surprised. She still looks as though she's in her twenties by human standards."

"Yes, well, while live far longer than regular humans we also age far slower, so by looks alone, you wouldn't be able to tell our age. My mother for example, though she looks like a young woman, she's actually 87." said Surzin.

"Oh? Well, how old are you? You seem to be in your twenties too, but now I can't be too sure." Xion asked.

"Oh. Well I actually am twenty." Surzin smiled.

"Hm, interesting. Anyways, what did you mean by she used to be your mother?" Xion asked.

"Well…its sorta like I said. She used to be my mother, but now she isn't. We're not that close anymore." Surzin said, a frown on his face.

"Why not?" Xion prodded.

"You'd have to ask her yourself. I don't know. Ever since I became the Overlord of my people, she's just kept distancing herself. We don't even talk anymore unless it's about my duties or some clan related matter. …I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Can we move on?" Surzin said, his voice getting a bit heavy.

"Xion nodded, wondering what happened between the two of them. He'd been an orphan, never getting to see his mother. Though he knew who she was now thanks to his little forays back under Revan's tutelage, it was a rather cold comfort. He knew the identity, but not the person behind it.

Was she a kind woman? Was she strong, courageous, outgoing, fun, loving, understanding? Or was she a wretched one? Was she mean, cruel, sadistic, heartless, uncaring, cowardly? He didn't really know.

Sure he had the stories he occasionally heard, though those were few and far in between, but they only told so much. And those could easily be colored by another person's perspective. No, without ever having met her himself, Xion…Naruto, couldn't ever say that he knew who she was.

And thus, he couldn't really understand whatever it was Surzin was currently going through. He assumed that it wasn't easy and it was probably causing a lot of pain for him.

Guess he would just offer his sympathies.

As Xion was about to start reviewing some reports on the recruitment of additional soldiers, a voice was heard over the speakers.

"_Attention my lord! We will be exiting hyperspace into the Soldaris System in a few seconds._" one of the bridge crew said.

Pressing a button, Xion responded "Very well then. Thank you for update."

He then went back to viewing his reports before he heard alarms blare on throughout the ship.

"What the! What's going on?" Xion yelled as the alarms flashed.

"_Sir! We're under attack! It looks like it's the remnant forces from that rebel fleet that Grand Admiral Thrawn took care of!_" the bridge crewman called back over the speakers.

"Those pests! So, it seems the little rodents haven't learned their lesson yet! You'd think the thrashing Thrawn gave them would be enough!" Xion said.

"Xion, what's going on!" Surzin came racing back, startled by the alarms.

"Some rebels are attacking us! Don't worry, it won't take long to fini-" Xion's eyes suddenly widened and it looked as though he was staring far off into the distance.

Surzin felt the stirrings of the Force around him and realized that he must be seeing something, a vision perhaps.

Xion's eyes eventually seemed to focus back into the present, prompting Surzin to ask what he saw, only for him to pause as he saw the look on Xion's face. It…wasn't a good look to say the least.

Xion then went over to a console and pressed several buttons, "Captain, respond."

"_My lord!_" the Captain's voice was heard.

"Have anti-boarding squads sent to these locations now! Do you understand me!" Xion ordered.

"_Yes my lord! It will be done!_" the Captain responded.

* * *

The Turian Cruisers all aimed at the Annihilator-Class Star Destroyer, their boarding pods filled to capacity, while the _Sarthowa_ moved forward to do battle at close range with the _Exterminatus_.

The Turian Cruisers fired, their boarding pods shooting forward like large missiles. They ripped through the shields, cutting in small holes through which they passed before hitting the heavy armoring of the _Exterminatus_.

The pods tore through that too, depositing their cargo into the ship in the process.

As the assault squads began to board the ship, they found themselves under attack by the soldiers that were lying in wait for them.

Gatling guns, defense turrets, and Sith Troopers blasted away at the United Liberation Forces' boarding parties, determined to eliminate the invaders.

Meanwhile, said invaders fought just as hard, many gaining a fatalistic edge to their combat prowess, knowing that if they failed here it was all over form them.

"Come on! We need to get to a console now!" Varison yelled out, racing out of the boarding pod along with the other members of his group.

Thrace, Bethany, Itachi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sasuke, Kakashi, Neji, Deidara, and Sakura all followed him.

It wasn't long before they managed to encounter another group of boarders, this one consisting of Ixecis, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Hanabi, Lee, Tenten, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Choji.

"You guys! This is great! Now we can find that monster and take him down!" Kiba said, happy to have found more friends.

"Right, but we need to be careful. There's no telling what'll happen to us in here." Shikamaru said.

Once together, the two groups set out as one, checking hallways, watching their rear, insuring that no flanking maneuvers could be pulled off on them. All the while they

Yet strangely enough they found no one. Not a single person roaming the halls, not one patrol group, not even one couple who were in an embarrassing situation.

As for that console, they weren't having much better luck with that either.

A general feeling of unease was beginning to settle over the entire group. It was slowly starting to become obvious that something was wrong.

Several of them who knew how to tried to draw on their chakra to send it out as a sonar, only to remember that none of them could use chakra anymore.

Back when they had woken up from the destruction of Ibonihs, many of the Konoha group had tried to use their chakra, or at least get a feel of it, but instead all that had happened was…well nothing for most.

Some, like Itachi had felt the stirrings of something within them as they tried to reach out for their chakra. Others like Tenten had felt nothing at all.

Itachi had even managed to utilize it, in secret to everyone else, managing to levitate a few objects here or there. He knew that this was some sort of power and that it was different from his chakra. Upon managing to actually take hold of the energy that was now within him, he had immediately felt something great. It was easily much more powerful than his chakra had ever been, and in fact, he had nearly lost control of it. It was only thanks to his years of self-discipline, the experience he had with his excellent chakra control, great amounts of willpower, and determination that he managed to quell it within himself before the power exploded outward, possibly doing something that would have very negative consequences.

And now this very power seemed to be telling him that things were going to go wrong soon.

"Okay, this isn't right! Why haven't we seen anyone yet?!" Kiba finally yelled, sick and tired of having nothing to do except run around.

"Calm down mutt! Do you want to get us caught!" Ino yelled right back.

"If we were going to be caught, it would have happened by now!" Kiba retorted.

"Both of you shut up! There's no use in arguing about it!" Ixecis said, shutting them both up, and getting them to cringe a bit, both of them not really used to the whole concept of real live aliens.

"Hey you guys! I think I may have found a place to download one of the maps!" Varison yelled out, attracting everyone's attention.

The group moved over to where a durasteel door was, Varison kneeling beside the door control panel.

"I can hear the humming and beeps of computers inside, so it should be able to be accessed for the layout of the ship! It's locked, but I think I can get it open in time! Come you guys, I'll need some help and some cover." Varison said.

"How much time would this take?" Ixecis asked.

"I don't know! Could be seconds, minutes, an hour at most." Varison replied as he ripped of the paneling to the door and began to hack it.

Ixecis' face gritted in impatience before she said "Come on everyone, let's go! We can't wait around here for some door that might lead to nothing!"

Turning around to leave, she was stopped by Varison's yelling "What! You're just going to leave me here by myself!"

"If you waste time with that when we should be trying to find a console, then yes, I will!" Ixecis snapped.

"The hell?! I can't do this by myself! I need some people to guard me! What if a patrol comes along! I'll be a sitting duck!" Varison yelled, outraged.

"Stop whining! You have the best armor out of all of us, a shield in your left arm, and that blaster lance of yours deals out way more damage than any of us can hope without a gatling gun or laser cannon! You're far from defenseless!" Ixecis argued back.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't be overwhelmed, outflanked, or outgunned! I need support!" Varison was exasperated by this point, unable to fathom Ixecis' impatience.

"Well then, I suggest you either come with us or get left behind! Everyone, move out!" Ixecis said.

The group was now starting to get conflicted as to what to do. Most wanted to help Varison, but all also knew that Ixecis was the appointed leader of this mission, and for the shinobi of Ibonihs, not following orders was often times grounds for some serious punishment.

In the end, discipline which had been ironed into all of them from the beginning of their careers won out, and the shinobi group left with Ixecis, leaving Varison behind with only Thrace and Bethany.

"Wait you guys! Come back! We can't just leave Varison here by himself! You guys!" Thrace called out.

"Tsk! Don't bother, those idiots aren't going to listen." Varison said bitterly. Sighing, he turned towards Thrace and Bethany and said "Go on you guys. I'll stay here and see if I can get these doors open."

"What! We can't leave you behind!" Bethany said, worried to her wits end.

"You have to. As we are right now, if a large enough group of enemy soldiers come, we'll be overwhelmed in short order. At least, if you two stick with the larger group, you may have a chance. If I can access this place, I'll get the ship schematics, send them all to everyone, and then we can all head towards the command bridge. If I can't…well, it was nice knowing you guys." Varison said, a solemn smile on his face.

Thrace nodded, although he couldn't help but feel a gut wrenching pain inside of him at having to leave Varison behind thanks to Ixecis' stupidity, but Bethany came first.

Taking her hand, Thrace began to pull her away, despite her protests, following the main group, and leaving Varison behind, to what may be his doom.

Once the two reached the main group, they were surprised to see that they had stopped moving. A moment later they realized why when they saw that right in front of said group was a rather large group of soldiers stood in front of them.

These however were not the Sith Troopers that the vidscreens and holoscreens had made so well known to Thrace and Bethany.

They were dressed up in an entirely different armor. Theirs was colored blue for starters, looked a bit heavier than the regular Sith Trooper armor, was more curved, and the visors were shaped in black t's with the edges sharpened off.

The many guns they pointed at the group however remained the same, at least, in Thrace's eyes.

Then, from the group of blue soldiers, one who was dressed in gold armor came to the forefront.

"So, you're the little parasites that thought they could invade Mandalore's ship! I have to say, you little gnats have guts. But here's where your fun ends. Why, I suspect that even now, the rest of your buddies are being stomped into the ground. Dare I say, you guys are probably the last group of your invaders. Hehehe. Makes me wonder what you thought you could gain out of this." the soldier, his face still covered up by his helmet, seemed to make his sneer felt to them all.

Ixecis' mandibles twitched in anger, yelling to the man "You'd best better have the information that I want, otherwise we'll cut up and gut you and all your worthless, spineless, and soon to be lifeless troops! My patience only stretches so far!"

"Oh-ho! So, the little girl thinks she has claws! Oh I'm just so scared! But there's no need to start PSMing! You see, we've been ordered to bring you Mandalore himself. But I'm sure you all know him by the more regular name of Emperor Xion." the gold armored man said.

That got a seemingly combined gasp of surprise from the entire group, for which they received a small clap from the crimson armored man for such perfect coordination.

"Oh really? I just why should we believe you?!" Kiba yelled.

"You don't have to. But, how soon are you thinking you'll find him otherwise. You have no way to navigate onboard this ship. You could be stuck in these hallways for a long time. And trust me when I say that the Sith Troopers won't be so friendly to you as we are." the gold armored man said.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. He didn't trust these people at all, especially if they worked for _him_. But at this point, did they really have any other choice? They were being offered to be lead to their target by those who apparently knew where he was. Plus they did have a point. It really was only a matter of time before they were forced to fight enemy soldiers, and then their numbers would slowly be whittled away until there were none left.

'Damn! We may have no choice! If we don't follow, there isn't much hope for us! It's not like we found a console yet, and we left that other guy behind with the only viable source of info. And this guy here has a bunch of backup armed to the bone with weapons. Well, looks like we have to play along for now.' Shikamaru thought.

"So, if we follow you, you'll lead us to Xion?" said Shikamaru.

"That's what I've been saying." said the gold armored man.

"Hey! Did I give you permission to speak! No negotiating with the enemy!" Ixecis spat, furious that an underling would try to usurp the chain of command in her eyes.

"Well since you squandered our previous method, we don't exactly have much choice anymore do we?" Shikamaru yelled back.

"I should have you executed for that!" Ixecis' eyes widened in fury as she spoke.

"Very well then, if you are going to take us to Xion, I will follow." Itachi said, before moving to the front of the group.

"Well, finally, someone with common sense! I like you already! What's your name buddy?" the gold armored man said before throwing his arm around Itachi's shoulder.

Upon not getting a response, a rather awkward silence fell around everyone.

Yet the golden armored man seemed to ignore it with ease, his rather cheerful voice showing no sign of being rejected.

"Well that's okay! You're probably going to be dead in a few moments anyways! I mean, it's not like you'll survive meeting Mandalore. He's not exactly happy with you guys. I mean you did tear up a bunch of holes in his perfectly nice ship! What was that for exactly?" the golden armored man said, making everyone around him wonder if he was entirely sane.

"Oh yeah, and you're trying to kill him too. People don't like that you know. Naughty, naughty." he said, wagging his finger at the invaders as one would do when admonishing a child.

Everyone was now positive that he was insane.

Leading the group onwards, the golden armored man had managed to convince them that they could take him down easily enough considering his insanity. It would be his entourage that was the real problem. So far they had remained silent and professional, always keeping their guns trained on the group at all times.

Even though the group did the exact same thing, the armor that they wore was of far less quality than the blue soldiers, and many feared that a direct fight would result in a defeat for them.

It wasn't long before the group came up to a vast room.

Within that room were massive red drapes which had the symbol of the Sith Empire on them, many couches and cushions on the side, two hallways, and two statues at the end of the room, each one commemorating Darth Revan.

In between those two statutes was a chair in which sat the man they all wanted to find, Darth Xion, or as most of them knew him as, Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

**Location: **_Sarthowa_

Dorgovitch sighed as he watched the battle play out before him.

Things were going not to good.

Imperial Interceptors battled with Sith Starfighers, the two forces playing out their dogfights in little streaks of light. Mobile suits meanwhile blasted apart the starfighters with ease, ripping them apart with their bullets or blowing them to pieces with their bazookas.

The _Exterminatus_ meanwhile blasted at the opposing ships, the _Sarthowa_ taking the brunt of the damage. The _Sarthowa's_ shields held, but that wouldn't last for long, and the superior firepower of the _Exterminatus_ meant that it was out-firing the entire United Liberation Forces remnant fleet with ease.

The Turian Cruisers were hanging back trying to provide long range support for the _Sarthowa_, but at best they might as well have been mosquitoes biting a Kryat Dragon. They were annoying and that was it.

One Turian Cruiser was already up in flames, badly damaged with holes in its hull, fires raging all throughout the structure of the ship. Weapon systems were still firing, but it was a desperate last gesture. The ship was dying and nothing could stop it. The remaining crew were merely trying to squeeze every last drop of usefulness the ship had left. It wasn't much, and the ship went down in a bright ball of fire.

"Tch! Damn him! Damn that Imperialist scum! His desire for war has driven us all into this corner!" Dorgovitch yelled out, frustrated over how little they had done beyond boarding the ship.

Then, to his surprise, the _Exterminatus _began to move. Its engines went at full throttle, the exhaust fumes being lit up into powerful streaks of fire as the massive ship moved.

Dorgovitch knew at once what they were trying to do.

"Hurry! We must catch up to them before they get out too far! If they can use their long range weaponry we're finished!" Dorgovitch yelled out to the bridge crew.

As the United Liberation Forces fleet began to move out to follow the _Exterminatus_, another disaster struck them.

Another Turian Cruiser was experiencing problems of its own. During the earlier battle with the station, it had received some damage to its engines from one of the satellite defense cannons. It wasn't too bad and could have been ignored until a later date had the ship managed to keep its support role. However with the speed that the _Exterminatus_ moved at, it was already starting to outstrip the other ships, forcing them into overdrive just to keep up.

This cruiser simply couldn't take it. The damaged section of the engine blew up from the stress being placed on it, sending the entire ship out of control. It went veering off its original path and straight towards the _Sarthowa's_ rear.

"No! Get us out of that ship's path right now!" Dorgovitch yelled desperately.

The _Sarthowa's_ bridge crew tried to get their ship to move out of the damaged cruiser's path, but they simply weren't fast enough.

The Turian Cruiser crashed into the backside of the _Sarthowa_, causing catastrophic damage to the ship's shields, and spelling the end for that Turian Cruiser.

The explosion tore through the shielding and badly damaged one of the S_arthowa's_ engines, crippling the ship's ability to move.

Shockwaves were sent throughout the ship, doing additional damage to some vital systems, causing electrical explosions throughout the rest of it, and causing most of the crew to be knocked off their feet.

'No, no, NO!' Dorgovitch yelled in his mind, horrified at the situation that had now befallen him.

* * *

"You know, the general purpose of an orbital bombardment is that it leaves no survivors. So when you…ya know, survive, you kind of ruin the entire purpose of it." Naruto glared at those to whom he spoke to.

"_Y-You…you really did all of that?_" Tsunade asked, her face one of pure horror at the sheer nonchalant way that Naruto was capable of disregarding them all and what he did.

"Yes _Tsunade_." Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Damn you, you demon! I knew the second I heard about you that you were just some foul evil monster. Our dogs had always told us how they didn't like how you smelled, and some of them even wanted to go down and hunt you, but mom always prevented it. And now look how she's been repaid! I'll kill you! I swore that if I ever saw you again I'd kill you!" Kiba yelled out at Naruto.

"And this is why I did what I did." Naruto doled out.

Getting up from his chair, Naruto proceeded to say "On that world, I was viewed as nothing more than a monster! Someone who wasn't even worth being alive! All my life I was treated as this disgusting thing that had the mistake of being born! And for what! For having a demon sealed into me when I was only a baby! For something I couldn't control! For something that inevitably saved your lives and kept you safe for 12 years! Well screw that! I won't let anyone get away with how I was treated! Not one single soul! And you know what, it wasn't Konoha alone that would have wronged me! The other nations would have done just the same! Kumogakure has a history with trying to capture people to be their little tools. Suna treated its own Jinchuuriki just as bad! Iwa would have hated my guts for my father alone! And Kiri has a history with destroying anything they consider out of the ordinary! It all had to go!"

"So that's your excuse? That's your reasoning for destroying everything on our world! Because most of it _may_ have treated you wrong!" Jiraiya said hysterically.

"It's no excuse! An excuse implies that I was in the wrong when I clearly wasn't! I was sending down justice upon a world that wronged me from the day of my birth! And that's final! Now, it's about time for you all leave! Malcador, please have our 'guests' exit the premises." Naruto said, looking towards the golden armored man.

"Yes Mandalore." the now identified Malcador said.

Naruto, while he was on Xiamolokalania and right after his Proving Trial and establishment of an alliance with the Caracon had immediately gone over to where the Mandalorians were on the planet and had proceeded to challenge the current Mandalore. This fight had proceeded much faster as the challenge allowed one to use all of their skills due to the fact that such a challenge was a test of who was truly the strongest. After he had slain the previous Mandalore, he took the title and leadership of them for himself.

"Like hell! You're going to die demon!" Kiba yelled.

"We'll, if it's a fight you want, I'm more than happy to oblige!" Naruto said as he ignited his red lightsaber, holding it forward, daring Kiba to come at him.

Kiba did just that, racing forward before jumping up high into the air. While he may have lacked his chakra, he was still naturally strong, and his many years of physical training were paying off in this regard.

Kiba, when he saw the lightsaber he inwardly sneered at the weapon. Real weapons were supposed to be made out of cold hard metal, not some fancy little light! Just like that idiot to think some little red flashlight was going to take him down.

So, Kiba thought that he would just simply knock the weapon aside and begin a beat down on that blond punk's face. He could even imagine the screams of pain that Naruto would let loose once he started his attack. He would have revenge. He would do this for Akamaru! Poor guy never made it, the orbital bombardment of Ibonihs having ended him.

When Kiba neared the end of his descent and got close enough to Naruto, he swung his left fist out, intending to knock the weapon hilt away from his chest. So when his arm was filled with a terrible burning pain, he could only look on in surprise as he saw his left arm get cut completely in half. This surprise turned into horror as his momentum carried him forward and impaled him on Naruto's lightsaber.

As the life began to fade from Kiba's eyes the room was deathly quiet for a moment.

"My God! I can't believe he actually impaled himself on the lightsaber. That has got to be one of the dumbest ways to die. Congratulations Kiba, you have earned Biggest Dumbass of the Year Award! Is there anyone you'd like to thank for receiving this award…no? Well then, that's too bad." Naruto said before twitching his wrist up a bit, making the lightsaber move up, melting through Kiba's body a bit more and causing said body to slide down the blade, leaving its upper portion cut neatly in half.

The rest of the group could only look on in stunned disbelief that Kiba had been taken down with such ease. The stunned part was with the speed with which he was killed, the disbelief was in how he had just essentially jumped into his own death.

Finally, Thrace could take it no longer. He may not have understood what exactly went on in Xion's childhood, but the sheer fact that he was so nonchalant about destroying his own homeworld only served to fuel the fire of hatred in his heart for that man. The man who had taken everything away from Bethany; forcing her to flee from her own homeworld, destroying everything she ever knew and loved, and forcing her through this entire ordeal.

"XION! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU'VE BETRAYED THE ROYAL FAMILY! YOU HAD THEM ALL BUTCHERED! YOU SLAUGHTERED YOUR OWN PEOPLE! AND NOW YOU DON'T EVEN REGRET IT! I SWEAR YOUR TYRANT SCUM, AND I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!" Thrace yelled as he brought up his blaster lance, prepared to unleash its devastating firepower onto the ruler.

"Alright then, what if you do take me down, what then?" Naruto asked.

"W-Wha?" Thrace said, nearly tripping over himself at the rather unexpected question.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto said "What if you do take me down? What if you do restore your…little _kingdom_? What then? How will you possibly handle the mob?"

"T-The mob…" Thrace trailed off.

"_Yes_, you know, the mob! The people! The citizens! Whatever you refer to them as! How will you deal with them? Even you can't delude yourself into thinking that they'll love you and…_her_." Naruto said while pointing a finger at Bethany, who flinched and looked away.

"W-W-Well… she…B-Bethany is a kind and loving person! They'll love her!" Thrace said, though even he didn't sound very certain.

"Oh? You mean that they'll just forget the centuries of abuse that Sethelonian Royal Family committed on them, that they'll just forgive and forget how the Royal Guard stole babies from their parents to be brainwashed into loyal troops, that they'll just accept those who stole so much from them so readily into their hearts? You really are a complete moron." said Naruto.

"…" Thrace tried to come up with some form of rebuttal, some way to deny what Naruto said, but he wasn't having much luck in that regard.

"The people are your castle, your ramparts, your moat. Without them your house is nothing! I possess their love. I possess their loyalty. I didn't go on for a thousand years or so stomping down on their rights and making them live in the very depths of poverty! Every single piece of news I've ever spread about the horrors your Royal Family committed on their own people is true. I'll admit there was a time when the Sethelonian rulers were kind and just people, but that time has long since past. And now people can only remember the bad parts of the Sethelonian Royalty. And really, when the last 2,000 years were filled with wretched leaders it isn't hard for them to hate you." Naruto said.

Thrace was starting to become panicked. He had always been so sure that despite the fact that the Sethelonian rulers were awful he'd have been able to get Bethany on the throne. Ever since the day she saved him from those bullies, he had become determined to protect her, and upon seeing her kindness and serenity, he was absolutely positive that she was meant to be the ruler of the kingdom. But now that Xion was actually in front of him pointing out these flaws, it was starting to batter away at his confidence.

"Now, perhaps the biggest question off all is whether or not our little miss princess over there even wants to be a ruler." Naruto said, pointing straight at Bethany who cowed under the Emperor's gaze.

"Um…w-well…I…I" Bethany closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them once more when she shouted "I DON'T WANT TO BE A QUEEN!"

Her shout was so loud that it momentarily stunned everyone, regardless of whether they had known her well or not. Bethany just naturally came off as a quiet type.

"Thrace…maybe…maybe he really would be a better ruler." Bethany said, turning to the one whom she trusted most in the galaxy.

"W-What!" Thrace said, while the rest of their group looked at the girl shocked.

For some the fact that Naruto could be good at anything was too much for them to take while for others it was that she seemed to be complimenting her family's killer.

"Well, he's right! Everyone loves him! Every time I see one of those broadcasts, thousands of people in them are singing his praises! Everywhere we hear about how things are getting better for everyone, how all the cities are being rebuilt, how everyone isn't starving, how the people are able to live again! It's better if we just let him rule. He's clearly better at it, and he's wanted." Bethany said, unable to keep off the look of regret and sorrow she felt at knowing that she would never be able to earn her people's forgiveness.

"B-Bethany…_no_." Thrace said. Unable to stand up after hearing that he fell to his knees, broken in a way.

All he wanted was to make her Queen, and now he felt as if he had failed her in the biggest way possible, by being unable to help her realize this dream.

Malcador suddenly fired his blaster pistol above Naruto, shooting at Lee who had been sneaking around, trying to get the drop on Naruto while was 'distracted' by his conversation.

Flipping back to avoid the laser fire, Lee yelled back "My apologies! I was unable to carry out my attack! Proceed with the next phase!"

Everyone then began to throw their thermal detonators towards the Mandalorians, forcing them to split off to avoid the grenades.

Once those had gone off, the Ibonihs survivors charged in, engaging in battle with the surprised Mandalorians.

Malcador took the fight to Lee, while the Caracon contingent that had accompanied their Overlord also entered the fray. Damokas fought with Tsunade while Rilengar held off Jiraiya.

Shikamaru meanwhile directed everyone through the earpiece communicators that everyone had. He smirked as he saw the second half of his plan being put into motion. He was somewhat disappointed that Jiraiya and Tsunade were being held up, but if the two they were fighting were able to go toe to toe with them, even if it was only in taijutsu he'd rather that they keep on distracting them.

Now, through this distraction all that needed to be done was for several smokescreens to be cast up. Once that was done, he could sneak on through, and kill Naruto himself, making that monster pay for the death and destruction he had caused.

However, before he could even begin to move, another figure rushed through the fighting crowd, dodging, ducking, weaving, and twisting around with grace as she got closer to Naruto.

Hinata grinned viciously as she rushed at Naruto, intent on dishing out whatever form of punishment she had in mind.

"Ooooooh Naruto-_kun_! How wonderful it is to see you again! Tell me, why did you betray me again?" Hinata called out in a terribly deceptive voice before proceeding to attack.

Just as she was about to however, she found herself getting punched in the face from the side, a fist from Surzin having pushed her away.

Flying off to the side, Hinata landed on the ground and skidded for a few seconds before coming to a stop.

Surzin meanwhile grimaced at his punch. It was far weaker than it should have been though sadly it was necessary. Due to the Caracon race as a whole living on a planet with 5 times the normal gravity than what was normal to a human, this had led to them becoming much stronger than normal. On their planet it was okay as everything there had grown or been built with that 5 times stronger gravity, but outside, it was much more of a problem.

This meant that all Caracon had to wear a special implant which connected to their nervous systems, decreasing their body strength to a degree that was more acceptable. Thankfully, the implant was controllable and could have the limiters reversed, allowing for a full on beat down, though Surzin felt that it wouldn't be necessary this time.

Furious, Hinata jumped back to her feet and glared at the one who dared to interrupt her chance at attaining her slave.

"_You!_" Hinata spat with venom while looking at Surzin.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE! NARUTO WAS GOING TO BECOME MY SLAVE! THAT LITTLE DEMON WAS GOING TO PAY FOR MESSING WITH MY HEART! I WOULD HAVE WORKED HIM TO THE BONE UNTIL HE WAS BEGGING FOR MY FORGIVENESS, LICKING MY HEEL LIKE A BROKEN DOG AND CALLING ME MASTER! BUT YOU, YOU INTERFERED WITH OUR LOVE! NOW DIE!" Hinata roared out, completely and utterly insane by this point.

Surzin raised an eye while looking at Naruto, a WTF look on his face.

Naruto merely shrugged, twirling one finger next to his ear in a spiral, universal for crazy.

The insane woman tried to continue her assault on Naruto, ignoring Surzin, who Force Pushed her into a waiting group of Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Taking up battle with her, the sound of pain and fear could be heard as the poor soldiers tried to contend with the insane force that Hinata had become.

Needless to say…they failed. Miserably. And in his heart, Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for them, seeing as Hinata did very powerful strikes that not only managed to crack open their armor, but also seemingly did massive internal damage in the horrible cries of agony were any clue. He didn't know, but it seemed that Hinata was somehow managing to use the Force even though as far as Naruto knew, there was simply no way she could have had any training.

Meanwhile, the rest of the people fighting mainly consisted of Ixecis and the Ibonihs people, Bethany having pulled Thrace out of danger.

Sasuke was having one hell of a problem though. He was currently going at seven on one again, only this time he at least had weapons. As with all the Ibonihs group, due to their lack of chakra, they'd been forced into equipping themselves with more weapons such as blasters, thermal detonators, vibroblades, rocket launchers, and any other weapon they could get their hands on.

As for how Sasuke was doing against the Mandalorians, he was actually managing to hold them off. He was forced to dodge a swing from one Mandalorian blade only to have block another slash with his own vibroblade.

Jumping back, Sasuke saw three more Mandalorians charging in front of him. He could also hear two more coming in from behind. Once they had all gotten into close range, he jumped up into the air and let them all crash into each other.

At least, that's what should have happened. However, it seemed the warriors were much more skilled than he gave them credit for as they managed to stop themselves from crashing into each other.

And while that went on, the two remaining Mandalorians brought out their blaster pistols and fired them at Sasuke. They even managed to score several singing blows, though the armor that Sasuke wore prevented anything too serious.

Once he landed back on the ground, Sasuke was forced to deal with the recovered Mandalorians who began to once more assault him from several sides. Slowly, Sasuke was starting to tire. Forced to constantly block and dodge, he wasn't able to get anywhere and end the fight.

And it was slowly beginning to frustrate him. The more and more he struggled, the more his efforts seemed to be in vain. But then again, that was his life's story. Whether it be with getting his father's attention, trying to make his family proud, trying to outdo Itachi, trying to gain more power; it all just seemed to be so useless in the end. He could never do it.

And now, Itachi was just off on the other side of the room, fighting off several opponents with seeming ease, and yet he couldn't reach him. It only served to further fuel the rage that went through Sasuke.

'Why…WHY! Why is he here! Why can't I ever get him! Why can't I make him pay! He…he killed our mother, our father, our aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces! He didn't spare anyone except for me! So why is he allowed to walk free! Why is he allowed to go on without punishment while I suffer every day!' Sasuke's thoughts only served to fuel the darkness that was raging in his heart.

And this darkness was sensed by those who were able to, though only a few knew what it truly meant.

Naruto smiled to himself as he began to formulate a plan.

"Sasuke, I must say, you've certainly improved these past few years. After all taking on seven Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders without your chakra is no small feat." Naruto said.

The Mandalorians ceased attacking Sasuke as soon as Naruto spoke, causing Sasuke to look up at Naruto, wondering why he was talking.

"You know, I just wonder about something. I see that you have a shock collar on your neck. That must mean you're a prisoner to these people. But tell me, why would they be keeping your prisoner?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke glared as he was reminded about his collar, and it only served to increase his rage. He was being made into a slave while Itachi got to roam free! It was an outrage.

"Sasuke, you want to kill your brother don't you? He's standing right there you know. All you'd have to do is walk right across the room and stab him. That's all. But you can't can you? It's because you're not strong enough. It's because you don't have power!" Naruto said.

"No…No, NOT YOU TOO!" Sasuke said as he began to back away, clutching at his head as he began to experience an emotional and physical pain.

Out of all the people in the world, Sasuke would never have expected Naruto to be the one saying these words to him. But they were true regardless. Sasuke, no matter what, seemed to never be strong enough to kill his brother, or when he did have the power, he was never able to reach him.

"But it's true! And you know it! You feel angry, you feel fury, you feel sorrow, misery, rage, pain, and betrayal! And all because of one man who has made your life a living hell! When Itachi destroyed your clan, he destroyed your life! HE TRAPPED YOU ON THAT PATH OF AN AVENGER! HE MADE YOU INTO THE SLAVE THAT YOU ARE NOW! KONOHA WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENSLAVE YOU LIKE THEY DID IF ITACHI HADN'T KILLED OFF YOUR CLAN!" Naruto was now calling upon the Force, reading every last painful moment of Sasuke's life and using it against him.

"N-No…stop it!" Sasuke fell to his knees as he tried to deny Naruto. Alas, the guilt he still felt over having been a part of Naruto's original banishment flowed through, leaving him unable to ignore what Naruto said.

"But there's a way to change all of that! There's a way to make Itachi, to make all of these Konoha fools pay for doing what they did to you!" Naruto spoke, his voice sounding like sweet honey to Sasuke's ears now.

"H-How…" Sasuke said, his eyes wide open, his form trembling, looking for all the world like a lost child.

"It's simple. Give in." said Naruto.

"H-Huh?" questioned Sasuke.

"Give in to your anger. Let your rage consume you. Let that darkness rise up from inside of you, and overwhelm you, and then use it! You will gain a power unlike any other! POWER THAT WILL LET YOU CRUSH ITACHI IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND!" Naruto yelled out.

"But how…HOW DO I USE IT?!" Sasuke yelled back, still unsure about this. He had already made a mistake about trying to obtain power once, and he really didn't want it to happen again.

Naruto smirked at this "Join me Sasuke. Join me, and I will teach you everything you need to know! Stand by my side, and you will be able to become one of the greatest figures in all of history, and, you will be able to start your family again."

"SASUKE NO!" Sakura yelled out, her eyes wide, a look of utter desperation upon her face as she realized what was happening. Her Sasuke was trying to leave her.

"SASUKE, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S LYING!" Ino roared, trying to make sure her Sasuke stayed where he should.

"I…I accept." Sasuke said while bowing down towards Naruto.

To Sasuke, when he looked at Naruto he didn't see a blond haired man dressed in robes and armor, but rather a glowing nexus of power. It was of such intensity that it nearly blinded him. And yet at the same time it was saturating, intoxicating. He wanted to be able to wield such strength as well. It was just awe inspiring.

"Excellent." Naruto said.

Then looking directly into Sasuke's eyes, Naruto said "Now, dig deep, and find that power within yourself. Let your feelings of rage and hate guide you."

Sasuke did just that. As with his chakra, Sasuke dug deep into himself, trying to draw out that power, focusing his rage, hate, pain, and any other powerful emotion he felt would be useful into his search. What happened next was rather explosive to say the least.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGH!" Sasuke roared out has the Dark Side of the Force blasted out of him, filling him with power that he had never experienced before.

His eyes became sulfuric yellow, and his hair began to blow upward while Force Energy exploded out from his body.

The shock collar around his neck was blown off by the power, breaking in half and being sent flying to opposite sides of the room.

Everyone took pause from their fights as they knew that what had just happened was very important, and the Ibonihs knew that it really wasn't good for them. Made some of them wish they had tried to stop Naruto from talking to Sasuke though.

Eventually the power died down, leaving Sasuke breathing heavily. But that wasn't from exhaustion, but excitement.

Naruto then took two lightsabers from a pocket of his and tossed them both over to Sasuke, who caught and ignited them, the red of the blades illuminating him. With the sulfuric eyes, it only served to make him look more dark than he already was.

Immediately Sasuke rushed over to Itachi, weaving his way through the crowd, intent on achieving his long awaited vengeance.

Itachi also moved forward, dashing through his Mandalorian opponents to meet his brother in battle.

The two clashed blades, Sasuke's lightsabers crossing with Itachi's single vibroblade.

The two pushed against one another, each trying to overpower the other. Sasuke held a maniac like look in his eyes as he sought to attack his brother. The Dark Side of the Force flowed through him, increasing his strength as he let his rage course through him.

Itachi could feel the increase in strength that Sasuke gained and immediately moved back, knowing he couldn't combat that.

Sasuke's lightsabers swung downward as they lost their resistant foe, burning deep grooves into the floor.

Sasuke immediately rushed forward once again, intent on slicing apart Itachi with his lightsabers. Itachi this time chose to dodge Sasuke's blows, swerving, weaving, bobbing, twisting, and practically dancing around Sasuke's blows.

Everyone was watching the battle between the two, none daring to interfere in the battle between brothers; knowing that this was so much more than just one brother trying to kill another.

After Sasuke and Itachi had split off once more, Itachi spoke for what had to be the first time since waking up.

"So little brother, you've gained a new power. I wonder, will this be enough? You've gathered all of your hatred, just like I told you so long ago, and yet you still can't seem to kill me." Itachi spoke in his constant monotone.

"ARGH!" Sasuke roared out, charging his brother with both lightsabers pointed forwards, going at mind numbingly fast speeds.

For those not attuned to the Force, Sasuke was impossible to follow. For those that were, he was still moving at impressive speeds.

Itachi for his part remained entirely calm, waiting for Sasuke to reach him.

Naruto widened his eyes as he started to realize what was going on with Itachi.

'Damn! I didn't think he'd have the Force too! And from the looks of things, it seems several more of them have the potential too!' Naruto thought, frustrated that his plan for turning Sasuke may get disrupted.

When Sasuke did reach Itachi, he calmly moved, knocking aside both lightsabers with his vibroblade and raising his free hand, using the Force to push back Sasuke, sending him flying back to the other side of the room.

Everyone else looked on in shock. Just a moment ago it was Sasuke who seemed to have the advantage, and then Itachi just pulled this.

'Itachi…you really are a genius!' Naruto thought, impressed with how Itachi had managed to utilize the Force entirely by himself, just like he did all those years ago.

As Sasuke flew, back, Ino and Sakura, who would have normally gone to help him immediately were instead stuck by the wayside, tears falling from their faces as they kept pressing the shock collar activators, trying to take back their control of Sasuke; so lost in their disturbing delusions that they couldn't realize that there was no way for them to do such a thing.

Deidara meanwhile, who had been silent in all of this was taking his position, hidden behind one of the statues of Revan. Shikamaru smirked as Deidara alerted him to his position. He had put in this final piece of the plan to have Naruto killed. Deidara, who was excellent with long range was chosen to have a sniper rifle and was given the task of dodging around and getting into a position where he could safely attack Naruto should all the other options fail.

And now it was time for him to make his move.

Deidara took aim, Naruto watched as Sasuke tried to get up and engage his brother once more while a smile slowly formed on Naruto's face.

Deidara smirked once before he fired, the sniper rifle blasting out its powerful laser shot. The red beam went through its target's head, burning through their skull, brain, and coming back out. With a cauterized wound through her head, Ino Yamanaka fell down to the ground, dead.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in horror as he saw this.

"W-What the hell! What's going on?! I-Ino! NO!" tears started to form in his eyes as he turned and glared at Deidara who jumped from his hiding spot and moved next to Naruto, bowing down as he did so.

"I hope you don't mind, but I decided to join you, un." Deidara said with a smirk as he got up.

Deidara, when he had awoken and learned of their homeworld's demise hadn't been horrified like the rest. He'd been ecstatic. What had happened to their entire world was literally the biggest type of bang he could think off! For his entire world to go out in such a manner, truly representing the art of a fleeting moment was the height of what an artist could hope to achieve.

Xion had earned Deidara's respect. Finding out that he was one of their Jinchurriki targets hadn't even put a damper in his spirits. All in all, a much better prospect to join than those ragtag freedom fighters.

"Weren't you a former member of the Akatsuki?" Naruto questions, though there is a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, but no hard feelings against you. I was forced into the organization anyways, not like I wanted to be there." Deidara said rather nonchalantly.

"And you aren't upset that I nearly killed you?" asked Naruto.

"Are you kidding me! Going out like that would have been the best. A true testament to my art. It is all but for a fleeting moment after all." Deidara said, a rather large grin on his face now.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM! NOT JOIN HIM!" Shikamaru yelled out hysterically, weeping over the death of Ino.

With Sasuke now up again he glared at the Ibonihs group, about to charge into their midst. They meanwhile readied their own weapons, willing to fight Sasuke if he tried to attack them. However, when the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders began to back him up, their already rather low morale sank further. And with Deidara having joined up with Naruto, things were really starting to look down for the group, especially as they were outnumbered and were unable to use their chakra.

The Ibonihs people realized that they would have to retreat. Surrender simply wasn't an option for them.

Jiraiya and Tsunade each disengaged from their respective opponents, having been so caught up in their fights that they had ended up ignoring most of what had happened.

Each of them was panting heavily, sweat rolling down their bodies and burn marks were everywhere. Meanwhile their opponents were far better off than them, not having any wounds and managing to look as though they hadn't broken a sweat, though if one looked closely you would see small signs of weariness on them.

The situation was turning, and the Ibonihs group was slowly being forced back.

All but one of them.

"NARUTOOOOOOO-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! _I'm waiting for you…so why…_WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME!" Hinata screamed hysterically as she charged once more at Naruto.

She maneuvered though all of the troops that tried to stop her. Their actions were seemingly pointless.

"Big sister!" Hanabi said as she made her way over to her sis, determined to support her. Though she had some rather different plans from her sister, as she was more intent on bringing an end to the treacherous scum who destroyed their world. Hanabi had had an easier time getting through the crowd of Mandalorians by being smaller, and all of them being distracted by her sister.

Once she did reach her, the both of them prepared to fight against Naruto. Or they would have if Surzin hadn't been in their way first. Slashing at them with his lightsabers, Surzin was determined to not let them reach his ally.

And for all the viciousness that Hinata possessed and all the skill Hanabi had, it wasn't anywhere close enough to match Surzin's overwhelming power. He was faster, stronger, and better than either of them could hope to be.

This became obvious as not after even a minute of fighting Hinata and Hanabi were clearly beaten.

On their knees, the sisters were down to the last of their strength as they sought to get back up and fight again. But on Hinata's face, there was the unmistakable look of fear. She didn't want to die here. She still had so much to do. She hadn't made Naruto pay yet.

And then, smoke bombs blew up right in the middle of the Mandalorians, shrouding them all in a dark smoke.

Hinata took her chance, shoving her weary sister towards Surzin, she shocked the Overlord with the betrayal of her sister before fleeing within the smoke.

The sound of blaster fire could then be heard within the smoke, causing men to curse or yell out in anger. Suddenly a man came back, pedaling out of the darkness, and to Thrace and Bethany's delight it was Varison.

"Come on you guys! I've gotten us a way out of here!" Varison yelled out to the group, getting them to follow him through the room's exit.

Once the smoke had cleared up from the Mandalorians, they grew confused when they saw that their enemies were gone.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for? GO AFTER THEM!" Xion yelled out, annoyed he had to actually tell them that.

Malcador meanwhile smacked his face in embarrassment of his troops.

* * *

Having just killed off the few soldiers and mechanics in the hangar bay, the Ibonihs group now boarded a transport ship.

"H-Hey, Varison, how did you manage to get this?" Bethany asked, awed along with Thrace.

"Well, while you guys went off and got yourselves captured by Xion, I managed to enter that room. Turns out it was a security room too. Unfortunately there were several soldiers in there, and I ended up having to fight them. I also ended up damaging a far bit of the equipment inside as well. It was nearly a disaster once the fight was over. My only saving grace was that there was one set of working consoles left in the room after the fight. I accessed those and managed to get a layout of the ship. In fact, I also managed to access the security systems. And that's where I made a rather unfortunate discovery." Varison said with a grimace at the end.

"What was it?" Bethany asked.

"Ours is the only group still alive. All the other boarding parties were pretty much eliminated as soon as they got onto the ship." Varison said, a frown on his face.

Bethany gasped, raising a hand to her mouth in horror. 'Dorgovitch, I'm so sorry.' she thought as she closed her eyes in sympathy for the man.

Thrace also closed his eyes, his regret starting to soar for ever taking this mission.

The Grinshi Commandos under Dorgovitch's command had nearly all volunteered to be a part of the boarding parties, and now all of them save the few on board the _Sarthowa_ were dead.

"Now, let's leave this place. I don't know about you guys, but I'm done with Xion and this empire bullshit for a while." Varison said, marching up into the transport.

"W-Wait. W-Where's Ixecis?" Thrace asked, having noticed that the Turian wasn't with them and hadn't been amongst those that had boarded the ship.

"Tsk, like I know, or care! Now come on, we don't have any more time!" Varison said, pulling Thrace and Bethany into the ship and closing the doors.

He went over to the cockpit, ignoring everyone else on board and pulled out Jiraiya, who was trying to figure out how to work the ship, and sat down in the pilots chair.

Bringing the ship's systems online, Varison had the ship blast out of the hangar bay just as a group of furious Mandalorians and Sith Troopers entered.

* * *

"Hey you!" Ixecis said.

Naruto and Surzin turned to look at her, rather surprised that she hadn't left with her allies.

"You! Are you listening to me?!" Ixecis said, pointing straight at Surzin.

"Well I am now." Surzin said, confused as to why she would even still be here.

"Don't you know how much of a fool you're being?!" Ixecis yelled at him.

"You know, considering the fact that you actually stayed behind for some reason, I say you're the fool." Xion said, bringing out his lightsaber to kill another one of those rebels.

"Don't you see" Ixecis said, ignoring Xion completely, "you're being played by that man! He did it to my people too! Can't you see that?!" Ixecis warned.

"I don't see the need to justify anything to you. But if you must know, Xion has helped my entire race in a way I'll never be able to truly repay him for. Allying with him was simply the least of what I could do." Surzin said.

"No, no, no, no, NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! THAT MONSTER NEEDS TO DIE! HE ALREADY KILLED OFF MY BROTHER!" and here Ixecis glared at Xion "You remember General Altimus, the man you MANIPULATED AND BETRAYED!"

"And your point?" Xion said, "Yes I used him and I got what I wanted out of him. In this line of business it happens. He was my enemy and I utilized him in the most efficient manner possible. Besides, he wasn't some rose colored little school boy. He was perfectly willing to wage a war of conquest on his own. I just provided a bit of a boost."

"NO! YOU PROMISED HIM THE SALARIAN UNION! AND YOU STABBED HIM IN THE BACK, DRAGGING BOTH OF OUR RACES DOWN!" Ixecis roared hysterically before pointing towards Surzin.

"Can't you see, you need to kill him now! Before he does to you what he did to my people and destroys you! You need to join us!" Ixecis yelled.

Surzin's eyes went cold at that. He had had enough from her. What she was suggesting to him was easily one of the biggest insults ever. Most Caracon held an extraordinarily high value on loyalty. And since Xion had not only defeated one of the biggest threats to ever visit the Caracon race, but also got the alliance, he had won a very deep seated loyalty from Surzin. Alliances weren't something to be made lightly in his eyes after all.

Surizn could sympathize with the Ixecis for the loss of her family member, but that still didn't change his loyalty towards Xion.

Ixecis meanwhile continued to go off on a rant about how Surzin should kill Xion as quickly as possible. Her heart was somewhat in the right place but sadly for her she had no idea that she had just sealed her own doom.

Raising his hand Surzin sent out a Force Choke on the Turian.

Rising up from the ground and gasping for air, the Force slowly wound its way around Ixecis' neck, squeezing the air, and subsequently life out of the woman. Her eyes widened and she clawed at her throat, desperately trying to get rid of the seemingly invisible arms that held a grasp on it. In her eyes one could see a multitude of emotions ranging from fear to anguish to desperation to despair. Finally a crack was heard, signifying that Ixecis neck was broken, and the dead woman fell to the ground in a heap.

Turning over to Xion, Surzin bowed, saying "Sorry for my outburst there. I just couldn't let her keep insulting me like that. _As if my honor was so worthless_." Surzin muttered the last part to himself.

"No worries. One less enemy to worry about. Now, I think I'd best inform the captain to have the rest of that rebellion wiped out." Xion said, glaring as he thought about those who had become a part of it.

Surzin nodded before looking down at the knocked out Hanabi. He couldn't help but pity the girl for the betrayal she had suffered from her own sister.

* * *

As soon as Varison had the ship lift off from the _Exterminatus'_ hanger, he set it straight for one of the Turian Cruisers, having seen the state that the _Sarthowa_ was in and not even bothering with it.

He went straight for the one that held the civilians that had been rescued from Ibonihs and moved into it right before the assault on the station. That Turian Cruiser was moving away from the battlefield so as to make its escape while the final one was providing cover. The Imperial Interceptors and Mobile Suits however were making it very difficult for the final cruiser to be of any use however.

And the _Exterminatus_ had finally gotten into long range and was thus capable of using its all powerful beam cannons.

The ship took aim, targeting the fleeing cruiser, and fired. The powerful green beams blasted through space, intent on annihilating their target. Yet before they could, the other Turian Cruiser gave the last of its own life shooting forward at full power to intercept the attack.

It succeeded in that task, blocking the powerful beam with its own body. Alas, that came with the cost of losing its own life in the process as the beam tore through the ship's hull, buring huge holes though it and coming out the other side. The cruiser exploded, the fire and smoke coming out and providing a small obscuring of vision for the _Exterminatus_' crew when spotting the fleeing ship. Then again, that's what targeting computers were for.

"S-Sir, you might want to look at this." a rather scared bridge officer said to the Captain as he pointed towards a computer screen.

"Hm? What is it? Emperor Xion has ordered us to hunt down those escapees so make it quick." the Captain ordered.

The bridge officer pointed once again towards the computer screen, causing the Captain to look at it. What he saw was sufficient enough to get him to panic. The screen showed an image of the battlefield as a whole, and was it was currently showing was a blipping dot that was the _Sarthowa_ getting closer and closer at extremely unusual speeds.

"Oh shit!" the Captain said as he realized what was happening.

"Turn the ship around immediately! Have all starfighters and mobile suits target the damaged Centurion! Bring it down right now!"

* * *

**Location: **_Sarthowa_

Fires raged all across the damaged ship and sparks burst out of wiring that had been exposed by the damage.

In the command bridge, Dorgovitch had taken personal control of the ship's steering controls, moving the ship as fast as he possibly could.

Everyone else on the command bridge was already dead, leaving him as the only survivor there. And Dorgovitch had also rerouted all of the ship's power systems to shields and engines and life support for the bridge. Everything else had been cut off, killing practically everyone else onboard the ship, leaving Dorgovitch as not only the only survivor on the bridge but on the entire thing!

Sweat rolled down his face from the heat in the room. His eyes were set, hard as stone and cold as a blizzard. His lips formed a grim line of determination. Muscles were tensed in anxiety, hand gripped the steering controls tightly, and feet were planted firmly on the floor.

Dorgovitch was dead set on this course of action. He was going to crash the _Sarthowa_ into the _Exterminatus_, and he swore nothing would stop him

'Hey, Dorgovitch, let's make a promise; that one day we'll rebuild our homes again! I'll visit the Grinshi Kingdom, and you can come over to the Sethelonian Kingdom. We'll be able to have so much fun!' Dorgovitch had remembered those words that Thrace said to him.

He smiled ruefully.

"Alas my young friend! Even then, I knew it was a futile promise! I realized the second that that accursed Xion took over my home that it was hopeless. He was too strong! And my people were too weak!" Dorgovitch yelled out, a wail seeming to come from him at the end of that.

His face then turned into one of pure anger.

"But, what that pasty, no good, imperialistic, greedy pig didn't count on was the love that a man could have for his homeland! He doesn't realize that such a love can give a man the strength of a thousand men! Imbed courage into even the most cowardly of hearts! Inspire the laziest of sloths into zealous action! THAT IS THE LOVE YOU CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND XION! THAT IS WHAT DRIVES ME TO DESTROY YOU AT ANY COST! WHEN YOU DESTROYED MY COUNTRY, WHEN YOUR TROOPS TRAMPLED OVER OUR LAND, YOU IGNITED A HATRED WITHIN ME THAT WILL NEVER DIE! A HATE THAT WAS BORN OUT OF MY LOVE! AND NOW THIS IS WHAT MY HATE WILL DO! THIS IS WHAT I AM CAPABLE OFF YOU IMPERIAL SCUM! NOW, IMPRINT THIS INTO YOUR PITIFUL MINDS! I AM DORGOVITCH REZNOF, LEADER OF THE GRINSHI COMMANDOS AND PROUD SON OF THE GRINSHI KINGDOM, AND I WILL BRING DOWN A RECKONING UPON ALL OF YOU WEAK IMPERIALIST BASTARDS!" Dorgovitched screamed out at the top of his lungs, adrenaline fueling his every action now.

The _Sarthowa_ blasted forth at full speed, remaining engines powering the ship forward. All safeties for them had been turned off, allowing for them to work at several times their normal function, but causing even more damage to themselves and the ship. The shield meanwhile took blows from the Imperial Interceptors and Zaku's, protecting the ship from their weapons.

But their combined weight was still taking its toll, and the shields could only hold out for so long.

Still, the Battlecruiser powered on through, the state it was in irrelevant to its mission.

Alas, that was a mission it would never complete, for the Annihilator-Class Stardestroyer had finished turning around to meet the threat, and this time it brought forth all 16 of its mighty beam cannons to bear.

"Wipe that piece of junk off the face of the galaxy!" the Captain ordered.

The green beams fired out from the twin barrels of the gun emplacements, shooting forward to meet their target. This time, the _Sarthowa's_ shields fell apart completely, having lasted for barely a second against such firepower.

The beams tore through the already badly damaged ship, destroying everything. The hull was warped, the metal melted, holes were made, and the entire ship was blown to pieces.

In the end, despite Dorgovitch's conviction, it just wasn't a match.

If there was one good thing that had come out of it for the dead man though, then it was that his actions had bought enough time for his companions to get away once more.

* * *

Well, I tried my best, but I don't think I'll be able to get everything that I wanted to fit into this chapter. My original plan was to have this be the last sort of buildup chapter before the Clone Wars, but now I'm starting to feel as though the last arc I'm writing is taking forever, and I feel as though I've made everyone wait long enough for the next update. So here it is, with just one more chapter to go before the Clone Wars.

Also, I get that the reunion between Naruto and the Konoha people was probably disappointing, and to be honest, I just really didn't know how to write that scene any better. So any criticisms on that part are welcome. Just please try to be constructive.

And finally, for any who are curious about my current situation, I've just entered my freshman year of college, so I'm experiencing a lot of different things right now. It's really different from highschool, that much I can assure you of. Way more free time, but most of it I've dedicated to studying. I eventually want to get into medschool.

And finally, HAIL TO PITT! My new college and home away from home for hopefully the next eight years.

(1): I have a pic of Thrace uploaded to my profile.

(2): After Action Report

(3): The Caracon are an OC species created by a good friend of mine known as Flair the Demon Dragon King. Just type that into the search engine and set it to authors to find him. PM him for most information on this race, as he is the ultimate creator. All credit for this species goes to him and I am just happy to try and bring them to life.

(4): Means "Where he first taught"

(5): Means "Where he first walked"

(6): Means "a life that has been scratched"

(7): Means "heavy defense"

(8): Means "Unseen threat"

(9): Means "Dangerous Beauty"

(10): Means "Marvelous achievement"

(11): Means "the call of the wild"

(12): Means "Dark secret searcher"

(13): The italicized means that they are talking in their own native language. I wasn't going to bother writing down the entire conversation in it.

(14): Means "Great Hunger"


End file.
